This Slope Is Treacherous
by lipstickdisaster
Summary: When Gabriella auditions for Twinkle Towne, she catches the attention of a certain pink blonde. Gabriella/Sharpay. Femslash.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So… I wrote a multi-chaptered Gabriella/Sharpay fic. I've been very intrigued by this pairing for a while now and there's a lack of fanfiction for those two, so I thought I'd try to – at least partially – rectify that. Furthermore, the idea of an AU where Gabriella properly auditions for the musical has been swimming around my head for a while, and it's been very fun exploring that, even though the fic was a beast to write. This first chapter is still largely canon compliant with some small changes, but I hope it's still enjoyable!**

 **As always, please leave a review, that makes my day! And you can find me on Tumblr at gabriellabolton (my main blog) and at bisexualsharpay (my HSM sideblog). Come yell at me about Gabpay and other HSM-related things!**

* * *

New year. New semester. Yet another new school.

Gabriella sighs as she tightens her grip on her bag and attempts to ignore the nausea that has been plaguing her ever since she woke up this morning.

She hates doing this. She hates having to up and leave every single semester, every time she thinks she has finally settled in whatever place her mother has dragged her off to.

She doesn't blame her mother, though, for she knows that her mother has little say in all of these transfers. She just wishes things were different. She just wishes she felt at home somewhere, that she wouldn't have to feel so lonely all the time.

This new school is even worse than all the ones before, though. Sick and tired of all the transfers herself, her mother has made her employer promise that they won't have to move again until graduation. That means that Gabriella is going to be here for a year and a half. And she can't be the freaky math girl again. Not this time around. She refuses to be miserable. She has to make a fresh start.

She just has no idea how to do that.

She supposes she should have made a plan over the Christmas break, done some research about the school and the extracurricular activities it offers, but instead, she made the terrible decision to ignore her problems and focus her attention on a good book instead.

And then she got distracted from her book by karaoke. And a boy. A very cute boy.

They had been picked at random, and neither had wanted to sing – she had stage fright and he had told her later that he had a general lack of interest in music in general, even despite his beautiful voice. Yet both of them had found the experience strangely invigorating, and they had hit it off instantly.

For the next week, she hadn't been able to take her mind off what happened that night. She hadn't been able to believe that she, Gabriella Montez, would be up on stage and singing her heart out without fainting on the spot.

All because of those blue eyes.

However, even though she definitely can trace her enjoyment of that night to his presence, she also knows that it wasn't just because of him. She has been in desperate need to do something different, something crazy, for so long and that night, she finally managed to light that flame that's been trying to flicker inside of her.

If she could light that flame back then, she's sure she can do it now.

And as her mother told her, she just has to be herself.

She can do that. Probably. Maybe. Kind of.

So, with a deep breath, she steps into her new homeroom. Trying to move inconspicuously as possible, she pushes past a blonde girl dressed entirely in pink to take a seat in the back of the class, sighing with relief as she sits down.

She can do something different, but she can also just blend in and pretend she doesn't exist. That seems like a better, much safer plan. And it's one that she can pull off.

That is until the class quiets down and the homeroom teacher – an eccentrically dressed woman named Ms. Darbus – starts rollcall, which is the exact moment her phone suddenly starts ringing.

Feeling her face flush with embarrassment, she fishes her phone out of her bag, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion as she finds out who's calling her.

It's Troy from the ski lodge.

Why would he call her on a Monday morning during class? Isn't he supposed to be in school like her?

She barely notices as two other students dispose their cellphones in Ms. Darbus's bucket, before the woman appears before her, the older woman's eyes glinting with fury.

"I suppose we're going to get to know each other in detention, Ms. Montez," she barks, before raising her eyebrows as Gabriella stays frozen in horror for a moment, as the attention of the entire class seems to shift to her.

Her lip trembling with embarrassment, she slowly drops her phone into a bucket, and for a moment, she braces herself for the inevitable request to introduce her to the class.

It doesn't come. Instead, Ms. Darbus's attention has shifted, practically floating to the front of the classroom, where the blonde girl is sitting, next to a boy who looks a lot like... Troy?

"Mr. Bolton, it seems like your phone is involved, too. I'll see you in detention," Ms. Darbus says, and the boy sighs as his phone disappears as well.

Gabriella barely notices as another boy, with a giant afro, speaks up in a desperate bid to get his friend out of attention.

She never got Troy's last name that night at the ski lodge, but this Bolton boy, it's him. She's positive. She has thought about him too much not to recognize him. Maybe he recognized her, too, and that's why he called her.

Of course, she could just be wishing for it to be him, but she pushes that thought to the back of her mind.

If it _is_ him, though, that would mean she can't disappear into the shadows like she wanted.

It also means that there's a constant reminder that she could just try to do something different, try to show more of herself, to try to keep that flame alive.

She doesn't know if that's a good thing, but a part of her finds it exciting.

So, as she watches the back of the boy's head for the rest of the period, wondering if he is or isn't Troy, the nervous jitters in her stomach turn pleasant.

Maybe this new start might not be so bad after all.

* * *

When the bell finally rings and Ms. Darbus finally stops lecturing the class about the evils of cellphones, there's only one thing on Gabriella's mind – find Troy.

In her determination to get out of the classroom, however, she doesn't watch where she's going and quickly bumps into something. Or rather someone.

As the person blocking her path turns around, Gabriella comes eye to eye with the pink blonde from before. Her hazelnut eyes are alight with fury and her lips are curled down into a scowl, but somehow, the only word Gabriella can think of is _pretty_.

She knows girls like her. They're always so physically perfect, so pretty that Gabriella finds it hard not to envy them, even despite her lack of interest in beauty.

However, it's not just this girl's physical beauty that strikes her. That coldness in the girl's eyes, she recognizes it and she dreads it. This girl could ruin her if they ever crossed paths. This girl needs to be avoided at all costs.

So, with an apologetic smile, Gabriella ducks her head and mutters a quick apology, before resuming her mission to find Troy.

Her mission is completed rather quickly, because she feels a hand land on her shoulder the minute she walks out of the classroom.

And when she turns around to meet a sea of blue she has dreamed of so much the past week, she can't help but smile.

She also can't help but notice how kind his eyes are, especially compared to the brown fury she just briefly experienced.

"I can't believe it!" he exclaims as a grin blossoms on his own face.

Suddenly, she feels giddy, like a little schoolgirl. "Me neither. I can't believe you live here. I couldn't find you at the lodge on New Year's Day."

Troy's grin only grows as he holds out his arm to lead the way. She quickly grabs the map of the school that Principal Matsui handed to her, before they start walking.

"Sorry I didn't call," he whispers in her ear as they move down the hallway. "I left first thing in the morning and then I got busy."

"It's okay," she says, before raising her eyebrows in amusement. "But why are you whispering?"

Troy blushes a little with embarrassment as his hand flies up to his neck. "I didn't tell my friends about what happened on New Year's Eve."

"Was it that embarrassing?" she teases him, but a part of her does worry. Maybe it didn't mean as much to him as it did to her.

However, that doubt quickly evaporates as their eyes lock again and Troy assures her, "No, I really, really enjoyed it."

She can sense that isn't everything, though. "But?"

"It's just that it's not my thing, I guess," Troy admits with a shrug as they enter the big hallway. With a grin, he points to a sign-up sheet on a bulletin. _Musical Auditions_ , it reads.

"It seems like it is your thing, though, so I'm sure you'll want to sign up for the musical."

Gabriella bursts out laughing as she shakes her head furiously. Her? In a musical? That's insane. She'd collapse and die the minute she'd go up on stage.

"I told you I have stage fright. Besides, I'm not signing up for anything right now. I just want to get to know the school first."

She also still wishes to blend in and not draw attention to herself. Even though the plan seems to have failed already, as she's already captured Troy's attention, she'd like not to cause any further disturbances to the lives of the students of East High.

However, she can't help but feel intrigued by the musical. She did love how free she felt on stage with Troy, and she'd love to feel like that again.

Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to sign up.

Or she could take the safer route and watch people on stage and live vicariously through them. She could definitely enjoy watching Troy in the musical.

So, raising an eyebrow, she tells him, "I'd definitely buy a ticket if you were in the show, though."

Troy laughs. "Impossible."

"What's impossible, Troy? I wouldn't think that word applies to you."

Both Troy and Gabriella look up at the presence of another voice, watching as a girl pops up from behind the bulletin board. Gabriella feels nervous as she realizes it's the pretty pink girl from before.

The girl's eyes runs over her for a second, before she smiles condescendingly. "Oh, you're showing around the new girl."

Then, she grabs a pen and turns to the sign-up sheet.

Gabriella sneaks a quick glance at a wildly uncomfortable Troy, before returning her attention to the sign-up sheet, where the girl's name now covers the entire pair's auditions section.

 _Sharpay Evans_.

What a peculiar name.

Sharpay turns back to Troy and Gabriella, before her eyes widen. "Oh, you were going to sign up? You're welcome to, there's a lot of supporting roles."

Somehow, Gabriella doesn't believe that she's being earnest, especially as Sharpay smirks at her patronizingly.

Feeling Troy's alarmed eyes on her, Gabriella quickly shakes her head. "No, I'm just looking around."

Sharpay nods slowly, retaining her phony smile, but Gabriella can still see the suspicion in her eyes.

Gabriella just offers her a smile. "Well, I've gotta go. It was nice to meet you."

Then, she waves at Troy, and takes one last look at the sign-up sheet and Sharpay's name.

This girl is used to power, that much is obvious. But she's made a promise to herself. She's not going to let herself be walked over at this school.

Therefore, she casually comments, "Nice penmanship."

It's a quick comment, but it seems to work, for Sharpay's face falls, and Gabriella feels a sense of pride that she has gained the upper hand, even if just for a moment.

She throws Troy one last smile, before walking off. When she's at the end of the hallway, though, she can't help but turn back one more time to see Troy and Sharpay in conversation. However, Sharpay doesn't seem to be paying much attention, for her eyes, still furious, remain focused on Gabriella.

With a shake of her head, Gabriella turns back around and keeps walking.

It's definitely not a good thing that she's caught this girl's attention, she thinks.

But she's not going to let Sharpay get her down.

* * *

There's something about this new girl. Something suspicious, something freaky.

Since meeting her this morning, Sharpay hasn't been able to shake her and she doesn't know why.

Maybe it's how she was looking at the bulletin board earlier, when Troy Bolton – of all people! – was showing her around. Even though she denied profusely, Sharpay could tell that she was interested. She doesn't think she has anything to worry about, though, since she's a shoe-in for the lead as always, but she always feels fiercely protective of her drama club on the rare occasions an outsider tries to intrude.

It's just her natural instinct. There's nothing weird going on besides that.

Yet she can't quite seem to shake the sparkle in the girl's dark eyes. There's something in those eyes that Sharpay just doesn't trust, that sends a shiver down her spine.

So, as any rational person with a suspicion would do, she decides to follow up.

Glancing around the library to see if no one is watching what she's doing, she types in the two words that make up the name that's been sitting on her mind all day.

 _Gabriella Montez_.

She watches as the results appear on the computer screen and her eyes widen as she clicks the first hit and the girl's face appear on screen.

Apparently, she won some big prize at an academic tournament. Apparently, Gabriella Montez is an Einsteinette.

That should ease her mind. Gabriella is a nerd. Nerds don't turn up at the musical auditions – well, at least not nerds of this kind. East High is a school of boxes, where everyone does what they're supposed to do, and anyone who would dare to step out of line would be punished recklessly by the hive mind. People like Gabriella are part of the chemistry club, not the drama club.

However, while this is comforting, it doesn't really answer any of her questions. It doesn't explain that look in her eyes or her possible interest in the musical or the fact that she's hanging out with Troy Bolton, the Wildcats basketball superstar.

Furthermore, a voice in her head whispers that how Gabriella doesn't know East High yet. She doesn't know about the status quo and what social rules she must obey. And Sharpay doesn't know what it was like at Gabriella's old school. Maybe the social hierarchies that exist here, didn't exist there.

Maybe she thinks she can be both in the science lab and on stage.

She needs to be taught that this is not a possibility here at East High. She needs a proper welcome.

She needs to be far away from the stage, she needs to be fit into a box that much better suits her interests.

It's a good thing Sharpay knows everything about everyone, because she knows a club that could make good use of Gabriella's talents.

So, she smirks at the screen as she prints out the article she found, finally feeling a little relieved as a plan forms in her mind.

She is going to help Gabriella and she is going to teach her a lesson.

And she knows exactly how to do that.

* * *

"The answer is yes!"

Sharpay perks up as she hears Taylor McKessie's excited voice ring through the theatre. Looking up from the prop she's been painting – damn Troy Bolton for inadvertently getting her in detention –, she watches as Gabriella Montez's eyebrows furrow in confusion.

"How did you get that?" Gabriella replies, pointing to the papers in Taylor's hands, the ones that Sharpay had disposed in her locker.

A satisfied smirk grows on Sharpay's face as she recognizes the panic in Gabriella's voice. She has regained the upper hand.

Ignoring her brother's questioning eyes on her, Sharpay keeps watching Taylor and Gabriella as a hawk as Taylor animatedly tells Gabriella about the wonders of the scholastic decathlon in a desperate bid to get her to join.

Her little scheme is perfect, really, she thinks smugly. The scholastic decathlon will certainly be very welcoming to Gabriella, more welcoming than any other club will ever be, and the scholastic decathlon needs any help they can get to stay afloat. Furthermore, Gabriella will realize where she belongs and Sharpay won't have to worry about her intruding on the drama club she's put her heart and soul into all these years.

Gabriella wins, Taylor wins, Sharpay wins. It's a win-win-win situation.

However, it seems like it isn't working out as perfectly as she's expected, since Gabriella seems to be be having doubts about Taylor's offer.

"I still need to get caught up on the curriculum here, so I don't know if I have the time for extracurricular activities," Gabriella explains, while Taylor's face morphs into a disappointed frown.

Sharpay purses her lips. Okay, so Gabriella is not falling for her scheme without some intervention. Maybe she should step in, help Taylor steer her towards the right path.

So, putting on a smile, she walks over to the giant moon that Gabriella is painting. "Ah, I see you've met Taylor. She can certainly help you get to know the school!"

Then, she turns to an utterly confused Taylor. "You're so kind to help, Taylor!"

When she turns back to Gabriella with a smirk, she feels an uncomfortable shiver run over her again as Gabriella is staring at her again, her gaze just as penetrating and unnerving as earlier.

Of course Gabriella isn't a fool. She knows exactly what game Sharpay is playing. However, it's up to her to decide to play along or to go against the grain. Sharpay just hopes that Gabriella is smart enough to realize that she shouldn't make an enemy out of her.

After a moment of intense eye contact, Gabriella turns back to Taylor. "You know what, I am actually trying to get to know the school a bit better, so would it be okay if I just came and attended a meeting sometime? I'm not signing up for now, though."

Taylor squeals with excitement as she nods vigorously. "I'm going to make sure you'll love it!"

Gabriella smiles at Taylor, and Sharpay smiles, too, satisfied that her plan seems to have worked out after all, before turning around to walk back to her own prop.

"Wait."

Sharpay turns back and quirks an eyebrow as she faces Gabriella, who suddenly seems nervous.

"I was wondering if it's allowed to come watch the auditions?" Gabriella asks, her voice a little shaky, averting her gaze from Sharpay and casting her gaze downwards as she taps her foot nervously.

From the corner of her eye, Sharpay can see the surprise on Taylor's face, but Sharpay can't say she feels similarly.

If anything, she just feels more suspicious. She knew it. Gabriella _is_ interested in the musical after all. This is bad. Really bad.

Gabriella was supposed to befriend Taylor McKessie and join the nerds and be right where she should be. She wasn't supposed to be show interest in _both_ the scholastic decathlon and the musical. She wasn't supposed to intrude in places where doesn't belong.

Sharpay is going to make sure she knows she's not welcome.

"Well, usually, no one really comes to auditions unless they're auditioning and the deadline for signing up was an hour ago. Sorry."

Gabriella blinks, before nodding despondently. "I get it. I don't want to intrude. I just wanted to get to know the school, see something new."

Sharpay barks out a laugh, before shaking her head condescendingly. "We don't do new things at East High."

Gabriella frowns, appearing disappointed, before looking to Taylor, who nods in confirmation. Biting her lip, she asks curiously, "Why not?"

God, this girl doesn't give up. If she wasn't so annoying and acting against Sharpay's interests, Sharpay would almost respect her for her persistence.

"It's just the way things are," Sharpay responds curtly as she narrows her eyes at Gabriella in a menacing glare.

When Gabriella looks to Taylor again, who merely shrugs, and she sighs, before shaking her head. "Sorry, you're right. That was silly of me."

And that's the end of it. At least, that's what Sharpay hopes. Something tells her that it may not be as finished as she thinks.

Shooting Gabriella a fake smile, she says, "Well, if that's all, I have props to paint. It was nice talking to you, ladies."

And as she walks off with her head held high, she scoffs as she hears Taylor hiss, "What was that?"

She would like to know that, too.

When she arrives back at her prop and Ryan opens his mouth to say something, she just scowls and holds up a finger to stop him.

"Don't."

Then, she turns back to shoot Gabriella one last vicious glare.

She doesn't know what this girl's deal is, but she does know that she hates her.

* * *

Why did she ask Sharpay about the auditions?

Gabriella has come to this new school with one clear goal – to blend into the crowds and finish her high school career without any further harassment by her peers. It has been less than a day and she already knows that this is probably going to be impossible, and it's her own fault.

She already knew that she was going to catch more attention than she bargained for the minute she ran into Troy, but that doesn't mean she should actively aid in her own demise by bringing the wrath of the school's resident ice queen upon herself.

However, she supposes that it wasn't entirely her own fault, for she's certain that it's Sharpay who alerted Taylor McKessie to Gabriella's past, and that was before Sharpay had any reasonable worry about her.

She still shouldn't have any justified reasons to hate her, though, since Gabriella truly only wants to watch the auditions. New Year's Eve was a fluke and her church choir days are long behind her for a very good reason. The fact that she enjoyed that feeling of freedom when she sang with Troy doesn't mean that she wants to get up on stage again. She truly just wants to watch safely from the sidelines instead of becoming the centre of attention.

However, judging from the anger that's been growing in Sharpay's eyes with every meeting they've had, she knows that she doesn't believe a word Gabriella says. And as long as Sharpay is wary of her, Gabriella is catching unwanted attention.

Furthermore, she's also catching attention from Troy. She hasn't spoken to him since they ran into each other this morning, but she has seen him in the hallways multiple times, and each time, their eyes have met and she has felt a tidal wave of sparks ripple through her body.

She is also afraid of his attention, though, but not at all for the same reason she fears Sharpay. Sharpay scares her because she can destroy Gabriella's life, but Troy has the power to destroy her heart.

It scares her that she already has such strong feelings for him, especially when she doesn't know him. The only things she knows about him is that he has incredibly blue eyes, he can sing very well and he makes her feel at ease.

She doesn't know anything about his personality, his interests, his goals in life. She shouldn't feel this way about someone is practically a stranger to her.

Furthermore, his presence in her life is the reason why she has this inexplicable curiosity about the school musical. His presence is the reason why she acted so foolishly and caught the attention of the one person she should avoid.

At least, one good thing has come from it, though. Taylor.

Taylor might be pushy about Gabriella joining the decathlon, but she is also smart, friendly and helpful, and she's exactly the kind of friend that Gabriella could use at this school. Sharpay may have set them up with malign intent, but Gabriella is grateful to have Taylor by her side.

Perhaps Taylor could also ease her anxieties about the two people who have been plaguing her mind all day.

So, when they're walking out of the school at the end of the day, Gabriella decides to just ask.

"What do you know about Troy Bolton?"

Taylor's eyebrows shoot up. "Troy?"

When Gabriella shrugs and nods, Taylor lets out a laugh. "Well, I don't particularly like to concern myself with that particular subspecies, but you could say that Troy is a hottie superbomb."

"Hottie superbomb?" Gabriella repeats with an amused giggle as Taylor nods and rolls her eyes.

"I didn't coin that," she assures Gabriella, "but it's a good way to describe him. Other terms would include heartthrob, superstar, king of the campus. You know, all those terms they use to describe basketball captains who have their heads way too far up their asses."

Gabriella bites her lip. So, Troy is apparently very popular. She probably should have known, with him and his basketball-carrying friend being dragged off by the basketball coach during detention, and the rather extreme school spirit amongst students.

Yet she finds it hard to believe that this sweet, dorky boy she's met on New Year's Eve is as arrogant as Taylor says he is.

"He seems kind of nice," Gabriella comments, and Taylor scoffs and shakes her head.

"Trust me, he isn't," she says firmly, before pointing to the group of cheerleaders standing a yard away from them. "He only gives the time of day to girls who like to discuss their nailbeds."

Yet he gave Gabriella the time of day and she's definitely not type of the girl. And even though she can sense that Taylor is biased, this does make her feel insecure.

She feels like she can be herself around him, but what if being herself isn't enough?

"Seriously, though, you don't want to befriend Troy Bolton," Taylor continues, before pausing briefly and glancing at Gabriella cautiously. "And you don't want to befriend Sharpay Evans either."

Gabriella sighs heavily. Just as the detention debacle hasn't left her own thoughts, it's obvious that Taylor hasn't been able to let it go either.

"I'm just going to watch the auditions, nothing more," Gabriella reassures Taylor, who just purses her lips and shakes her head.

"Look, I'm just trying to look out for you," she says. "It's not just that I don't understand your interest, which I don't, but I know Sharpay. Even if you just sit in the audience of the auditions, she will see you as a threat and she will come after you. She's dangerous and you need to be careful."

There's a sense of genuine worry in Taylor's eyes and Gabriella musters a small, grateful smile in return. "I will, I promise."

She doesn't need Taylor to tell her that Sharpay is dangerous, though. She has already figured that out by herself. But for some reason, she just can't help herself.

She just hopes that this newfound and irrepressible curiosity about the musical won't cause her demise.


	2. Chapter 2

Sharpay is nervous.

She has never felt this jittery feeling before when she has walked into the theatre or when she has gone on stage and grabbed the spotlight.

She has been in seventeen school productions in her young life, yet she has never, _ever_ felt nervous for an audition. Until now, that is.

Now, the problem isn't the actual audition. She knows the drama club by heart – she practically rules the theatre department. She knows she and Ryan are the only pair who signed up and therefore are practically confirmed to be getting the leads. She knows that she and Ryan are the only talented performers in the club anyways. She knows she has nothing to worry about if the other hopefuls are as dismal as they usually are.

But there lies the problem. She isn't so sure whether everyone will be as terrible as always. Sure, Alan will fumble over his words and Cyndra will never get the message that the club isn't interested in opera singers, but they aren't the only people interested in the musical this time around.

Gabriella Montez is interested in the musical now. And while Sharpay has tried to convince herself that Gabriella was speaking the truth when she just wanted to watch the auditions and nothing more, and that it isn't clear whether Gabriella can sing anyways, Sharpay is still wary.

She's so wary that she can see Ryan's patience wearing thin, his face contorting with more annoyance each time she furtively glances around to make sure that Gabriella isn't present.

Fortunately, Ryan doesn't speak up, though – he rarely speaks up to Sharpay beyond an occasional sarcastic remark –, but his annoyance doesn't sit well with her.

If she's panicking enough to visibly annoy her brother, her quiet and loyal best friend, it's bad.

And the knowledge that her panic is reaching dangerous levels isn't helping her calm down either.

"Are you okay?" Ryan finally whispers in her ear after a while, and it's not until then that Sharpay realizes she's hyperventilating.

This really is bad.

However, her panic quickly dissipates as Ms. Darbus enters the auditorium right at that exact moment.

Auditions are starting. Gabriella isn't here. The crisis is averted, Sharpay thinks with a sigh of relief.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

Finally feeling the familiar excitement bubble in her stomach, Sharpay watches eagerly as Darbus disposes of her belongings, before walking to the stage with powerful strides.

It's the sound of another pair of footsteps entering the auditorium, just before Darbus starts her welcome speech, that makes Sharpay's breath hitch in her throat and her panic return, though.

Almost as if in slow motion, she turns around to see her worst nightmare come to life. Gabriella Montez is here.

She quickly reverts her gaze to the stage as Gabriella's doe-eyes scan the room, and she hopes that Gabriella won't get the idea that it's okay to come and socialize with her.

It's already too late, though, for she hears the footsteps approach as she continues to stare ahead starkly, and suddenly she feels a presence right next to her.

"Hi," Gabriella simply greets her, and both twins watch her with wide eyes, Sharpay incredulously and Ryan curiously.

There are so many empty seats in the auditorium. She could have sat anywhere. She probably would have been better off in the back if she truly didn't want to watch without intruding. Why is she sitting here? Why does she refuse to take Sharpay's hints that she's not interested in being her friend?

Maybe she needs another reminder.

"You came," Sharpay says coldly, before turning back to the stage, trying to concentrate on Darbus's words rather than on Gabriella.

Gabriella seems to take the hint, for she sounds a little embarrassed as she says, "Sorry if I'm bothering you. I just didn't know anyone else here."

"Well, you _are_ bothering us if you're not quiet," Sharpay responds curtly, scooting a little to the left as she feels her body tense at Gabriella's presence to her right.

Gabriella sighs and thankfully, she does as she's told for once, settling down as she focuses on the stage as well.

They remain quiet for a minute, before Ryan suddenly speaks up.

"We haven't met yet," he says, sticking his hand out to Gabriella. "Ryan Evans. I'm Sharpay's brother."

From the corner of her eye, she can see Gabriella's face light up, a happy sparkle suddenly evident in her eyes, as she takes Ryan's hand and shakes it. "Gabriella Montez. Nice to meet you."

As Ryan retracts his hand, Sharpay shoots him an incredulous look and he furrows his eyebrows as he shrugs in response. "What?"

Of course he doesn't get it. He has only met Gabriella just now and he's not nearly as perceptive as Sharpay is. He doesn't understand yet that there's a danger hidden beneath that sparkle in her dark eyes. He's not aware yet that Gabriella Montez poses a threat.

Sharpay just shakes her head and turns back to the stage again, the scowl never leaving her face as the first candidate is called to the stage.

And, as she remains hyperaware of Gabriella's proximity, the panic and the nerves never leave.

* * *

The auditions have certainly been interesting so far. Between Ms. Darbus's harsh commentary on the performers, most of whom are alarmingly bad, and Sharpay's icy demeanour, Gabriella wonders why she thought it would be a good idea to visit.

Yet the fascination never ceases, even as she watches performers mess up their lines and sing off-key, and the memory of herself being on stage on New Year's Eve never quite leaves her mind.

She would never actually do it, but a part of her wonders what it would be like if she actually did audition, what it would be like to feel that exhilarating feeling of being on stage again.

To be honest, she craves that feeling again. However, she lets the rational part take reign, for she does not want to be subjected to Ms. Darbus's criticism and Sharpay's scrutiny.

So, she watches, and watches, and watches, until suddenly, the single's auditions are over.

"Before we move on the pair's auditions, are there any last-minute sign-ups for the single's?" Darbus's voice calls, and the tiny flame inside Gabriella's heart suddenly flickers to life.

She hears Sharpay's breath hitch beside her and she gulps as she looks to her left to catch the diva's glare. Gabriella has become accustomed to her glare over past two days, and she recognizes that the look in Sharpay's eyes is now quite different than before.

It's not disdain or fury – it's a warning. It's telling her not to dare.

Somehow, it only spurs Gabriella on. She has come here with a desire to be true to herself, not to be pushed into a box, and she's not going to let Sharpay or anyone else limit her. She's not going to let her life be led by fear any longer.

So, she stands up. "I'd like to audition, Ms. Darbus."

Every single person in the auditorium, from the stage crew and the other candidates to Ms. Darbus and the Evans twins, turns around and suddenly, Gabriella realizes she has made a mistake after all.

She might not want to limit herself, but opening herself up means that she's going to have to go up there. And sing. While she has stage fright.

"Ms. Montez," Ms. Darbus states, although it sounds more like a question. "Please come up here."

Sharpay huffs indignantly, and Gabriella spares her an apologetic glance before slowly making her way to the stage, her knees trembling beneath her as she feels the many pairs of eyes on her.

When she's on stage, the mousy, bespectacled pianist – Kelsi is her name, Gabriella believes – immediately steps towards her and hands her the sheet music with a kind smile.

Gabriella quickly glances over it and gulps again, before offering Kelsi a nervous smile.

"It'll be fine," Kelsi whispers, and Gabriella is grateful for her encouragement, even though she can't see how this could possibly be true.

"Any time you're ready, Ms. Montez," Ms. Darbus encourages her, but her stern tone doesn't make Gabriella feel at ease.

Slowly nodding, she turns to face the audience and she almost decides to quit. But then she sees it, or rather _him_ , in the far back of the auditorium, hiding behind a mop.

His face is pale and his eyes are wide as he stares at her, and she's suddenly transported back to New Year's Eve, when those same eyes, so warm and blue, gave her the courage to continue singing and to let go of her fears.

Then, she spares another glance at Sharpay, whose eyes are still hard and furious, and she feels determined. She's not going to let Sharpay get her down.

And, as she glances back at Troy, she feels her worries wash away. The determination that Sharpay has instilled in her and the comfort that Troy's presence offers, are a powerful combination.

She can do this.

So, she shuts her eyes briefly and lets out a heavy breath, and then she starts singing and watches as Sharpay's eyes widen in horror and her brother's mouth falls agape.

Somehow, she manages to get through it without hyperventilating, becoming nauseous or nearly fainting. All because of those two pairs of eyes, so starkly different from one another, focused on her.

As she finishes, Darbus is glaring at her curiously, and she feels the nerves overcome her again as she braces herself for what will surely be scathing criticism.

However, it never comes. Instead, Darbus merely scribbles something down and tells her, "Thank you, Ms. Montez."

There's no hint of disapproval in her voice, like there's been for nearly every single candidate, and Gabriella can't help but blink astonished at the lack of negative feedback, before quickly handing back her sheet music to the pianist, who is still smiling at her warmly.

Then, she hurries off stage to return to her seat, where she slumps down as Darbus calls for Ryan and Sharpay to come up, and Sharpay nearly kicks her in the shin as she moves past her.

She honestly wishes she could disappear when Sharpay's gaze remains steadfastly on her throughout their performance, the fury in her eyes reaching heights that Gabriella hadn't thought to be possible.

However, despite Sharpay's obvious distraction by Gabriella's audition – as evidenced by Sharpay messing up a dance move and bumping into Ryan at one point during the song –, the siblings are good. They truly shine on stage, and Gabriella truly doesn't think she could ever measure up to their talent.

Sharpay Evans isn't only an ice queen, but she's also a star.

That knowledge makes Gabriella wonder why she put herself like this, why she put that target on her back, but still, she doesn't regret it. She will be subjected to Sharpay's cruelty, no matter what the outcome of this audition, but it's worth it.

Because for once, she was true to herself. For once, she was more than the freaky math girl. And maybe, just maybe, she can be free here.

* * *

When Ms. Darbus dismisses everyone, Gabriella all but rushes out of her seat in an attempt to avoid Sharpay, who has yet to stop glaring at her menacingly.

Quickly hurrying to the back of the theatre, she puts her hand on her hip as she raises her eyebrow playfully at the person who is still hiding behind it.

"You auditioned," are the first words from his mouth, and her playful demeanour immediately evaporates as she hears an emotion akin to agony in his voice.

She bites her lip as she nods. "I did."

An awkward silence settles between them as they just stare at each other, unsure what to say as they try to come to terms with what just happened.

She just did the exact thing she wasn't supposed to do. She just went far beyond the limits of what East High's social norms dictate. She just did something… different.

It's terrifying and exciting all at once for Gabriella, but judging from the distraught storm brewing in Troy's eyes, he's only terrified.

"Why did you do that?" Troy finally asks, but his tone is not accusatorily. Instead, he seems genuinely curious.

Gabriella shrugs. "The same reason you're hiding behind that mop."

Troy smiles sheepishly as he lets go of the mop. "That's a fair point."

They're silent for a moment again, before Troy's cheeks suddenly redden and his hand flies up to his neck. "You know, I really admire you for going up there."

Gabriella feels her own face grow hot in response as she musters a shy smile. "Thanks. Why didn't you? You're obviously interested."

When Troy averts his gaze nervously, she feels overcome with a pleasant feeling of affection as she realizes what is going on.

Teasingly, she asks, "Is the Wildcats superstar afraid?"

Troy chuckles meekly. "No, I'm not afraid. I'm just… scared."

He gestures to the stage, where only Sharpay and that Kelsi girl seem to be left. Gabriella watches with narrowed eyes as Sharpay shouts something at Kelsi, obviously using her as a proxy for Gabriella, before swiftly turning around and marching off the stage angrily.

"I get it," Gabriella says as she nervously fiddles with her hands. "I'm pretty sure I pissed off a lot of people today."

A fond grin grows on Troy's face as she turns back to him. "Well, you were really good, so if they don't want you, that's their loss."

Feeling a flutter in her stomach, Gabriella returns his smile, grateful for his comfort, both at this moment and during the audition.

"Thanks," she says, and she hopes that he knows just how grateful she truly is.

They stay like that for a moment, grinning at each other goofily, before a sudden, loud crash brings them back to reality.

Swiftly turning around, Gabriella feels a tug at her heart as she watches Kelsi sit on the stage forlornly. She looks like she's about to cry as papers are scattered all over the floor around her.

She needs help.

Troy and Gabriella seem to have the same idea, because they simultaneously start a sprint towards the stage.

As they start collecting papers for her, Kelsi watches them both, but especially Troy, with wide eyes.

"So, you're the composer?" Troy asks her. "You wrote the audition song?"

Kelsi nods silently, and Troy smiles as he reaches out his hand, helping her up.

"It was really lovely," Gabriella comments, and Kelsi's face lights up as her gaze moves from Troy to her.

"Thank you!" she exclaims as a brilliant grin breaks out on her face. "Your voice is really lovely, too."

Gabriella blushes as she shyly looks down. "Thanks. It definitely helps when you have a good song to sing. Actually, I liked your slow version a lot better than that up-tempo arrangement that Ryan and Sharpay did."

"Thank you!"

The combination of Kelsi's excitement with regard to such a small compliment and the earlier interaction between her and Sharpay makes Gabriella wonder.

Sharpay has power and is willing to destroy anyone who doesn't do exactly what she wants, that much is obvious. But how far does Sharpay's power over the drama club extend exactly? How horribly does Sharpay treat those who oppose her? Why has no one stepped up to her?

Troy obviously seems to have similar thoughts, for he asks Kelsi, "Why are you so afraid of Ryan and Sharpay?"

As Kelsi just shrugs in response, he continues, "It's your show, right?"

Kelsi's eyebrows furrow in response. "It is?"

"Well, yeah," Troy says, shrugging. "You're like the playmaker in basketball. You're the one who makes everyone else look good. Without you, there's no show."

At his encouraging words, Gabriella can't help but think back to her conversation with Taylor yesterday. Troy is not at all like what Taylor said he would be. He's so kind, so encouraging to this girl he barely knows, this girl who would probably never be in the vicinity of his social circles. Although he says he's afraid of trying new things and he says he envies her for opening herself up, he's still so open, but just in a different way than her.

She really likes that about him. Although they come from different backgrounds, they're really the same.

"I don't know, Ryan and Sharpay are pretty keen on things going their way," Kelsi snaps Gabriella from her thoughts. "I never get much of a say."

If there's anything Gabriella doesn't like, it's injustice. Suddenly overcome with resentment for the bedazzled twins, she feels that same determination that she felt when she auditioned bubble inside her.

Even though she's drawing attention to herself, she hopes she will get a part in the musical, because she wants to fight. Not only for herself, but for Kelsi and the other members of the drama club, too.

"If I get a part, I'll be on your side," she reassures Kelsi, and they share a smile.

"Thanks," Kelsi replies earnestly. "I'm sure you will get cast. Your audition really was good."

Then, she holds out her hand. "I'm Kelsi, by the way. Kelsi Nielsen."

"Gabriella Montez," Gabriella replies, shaking her head firmly and feeling a slight relief wash over her as she realizes she has someone on her side against Sharpay now.

Whatever Sharpay's reckoning will be, she won't have to face it alone.

"I'm Troy Bolton," Troy introduces himself, and Kelsi blushes as she shakes his hand, too.

"I know who you are," she says with a laugh, before bending down and picking up the last of her papers.

As she stands up again, she looks back and forth between Troy and Gabriella and then smiles softly. "Thank you. Really."

And as Troy and Gabriella glance at each other and share a smile of their own, Gabriella feels an excited flutter in her stomach.

She may have done it on a whim, but she truly made the right decision to audition.

She truly made the right decision to stand up.

* * *

"Sharpay, breathe."

Sharpay lets out a heavy breath through her nostrils as she hears the mixture of annoyance and concern in her brother's voice, and continues pacing around her bedroom.

She knows she's being overdramatic – she's Sharpay Evans after all –, but she can't be calm and breathe when her life was just ruined. Or, well, it was _changed_ , but not for the better.

Gabriella Montez did the unthinkable. She auditioned, despite Sharpay's schemes and snide remarks to prevent her from doing just that.

Moreover, Gabriella Montez is _good_. Sharpay would have been pissed either way, because she seriously doesn't like the girl, but the fact that she can actually carry a tune makes her a genuine threat, which is exactly what Sharpay was afraid of.

Of course, Sharpay won't have to worry about losing the lead, seeing as Gabriella auditioned alone, but that doesn't make it any less bad. The fact remains that Gabriella auditioned and will likely get a part, being one of the few, if not the only, good candidate for the single's auditions, and change and new people in the drama club never bode well.

There's also the fact that Gabriella looked straight into Sharpay's eyes for most of the audition, as if to challenge her, and that unnerves her. She already had a hunch the girl's shy demeanour was just a façade, but to see it confirmed, Sharpay feels furious and threatened.

She needs to do something, anything to stop Gabriella from joining the drama club, but for once, Sharpay has no idea where to start. Now that Gabriella has auditioned and obviously caught Ms. Darbus's attention, she might be too late.

Feeling her brother's soft hand land on her shoulder in comfort, Sharpay shrugs it off with a groan of frustration. "How dare she? Everyone knows that Ms. Darbus just calls for last minute sign-ups as a formality. She shouldn't have allowed it."

Ryan sits down on her bed as he purses his lips thoughtfully. "Everyone has a right to audition."

Sharpay just narrows her eyes at him. "Whose side are you on?!"

Ryan scrambles up as he grabs her shoulders to steady her. "Yours. I'm always on your side. I just don't see what's the problem if we got some new talent in the drama club. Lord knows we need it."

Sharpay huffs and releases herself from his grip, shaking her head profusely as she starts pacing again. "But that's exactly the problem. She's _talented_ , Ryan. That means she might be a threat to us!"

As Ryan narrows his eyebrows in confusion, she rolls her eyes and continues, "All those losers in drama club look up to us, because we're better than they could ever dream of being. She won't. She will think she can challenge us, and considering she's obviously inexperienced, she will ruin the entire show."

"How do you know she's inexperienced?"

Sharpay rolls her eyes again. She loves Ryan, she does, but sometimes he can be so imperceptive.

"Did you see how nervous she was? That girl is not used to being on stage."

Ryan lets out a thoughtful sound as he contemplates her words, before shrugging and letting himself fall back on the bed again, putting his hands behind his head as he stares up at the ceiling. "She seems nice, though. I don't think she'll be out for us."

Sharpay scoffs, those sparkling brown eyes flashing before her again. "You don't know her."

Ryan might be fooled by Gabriella's innocent smile, but Sharpay isn't.

"Well, you don't know her either," Ryan counters, as he spares a quick glance at her. "Why do you care so much about her?"

That makes Sharpay falter in her step for a second, before she resumes pacing to keep up appearances.

That's a good question, actually. She could repeat everything she's just said again, about the threat to the drama club, but she knows there is something else.

There's something that unnerves her about this girl's entire being, and she can't put a finger on what is, which only unnerves her even further.

She can't stand it that this girl is intruding on her drama club, but she can't stand it even more that she can't figure out what it is about her that affects her so much.

"I just told you, she's going to threaten our power," she merely answers Ryan's question and he sighs in response.

"Who knows, maybe you're worrying for nothing," he tries to encourage her. "Maybe she won't get a part."

Sharpay stops in her tracks to send him an incredulous glare. "You and I both know that she will."

Ryan shrugs. "Well, then we'll just wait and see. Try to be optimistic. Maybe it won't be so bad. Maybe you'll even get a new friend."

Sharpay scoffs at Ryan's teasing tone, before shaking her head.

She and Gabriella Montez will never be friends. Not as long as this girl is messing up her life.


	3. Chapter 3

Friday morning, a loud-pitched scream is heard throughout the entire school.

Gabriella has just arrived, walking through the hallways when she hears it, and she blinks in confusion and alarm as she tries to find its source.

She feels her breath hitch as she sees Sharpay and Ryan at the bulletin board, their backs turned to her.

The cast list has been posted.

Quickly, she pushes herself up against the wall in attempt to hide from them. If Sharpay's desperate scream is anything to go by, there's a good chance that Gabriella got a part.

And while the very notion of that excites her, she's scared as well. Scared of Sharpay and her inevitable wrath, and scared of the school finding out that she's been colouring outside the lines.

Besides the people who were present at the audition, not a single soul knows about what she did. She hasn't told Taylor or her mom, and no one in the drama club – not even Sharpay – seems to have said anything, because she has remained invisible to the other students for the rest of the week.

She might have received a noticeably more gentle treatment from Darbus, and Sharpay may have given her more death glares than she can count, but up until now, she has still been the invisible, shy new girl.

That is about to change.

"This isn't real! This can't be happening!" Gabriella hears Sharpay shout at her brother, her arms flailing around dramatically, and Gabriella feels her heart speed up as a fearful shiver slides down her spine.

This isn't going to end well. As determined as she is to fight injustice in the drama club and to stand up to Sharpay for people like Kelsi, she can't deny just how intimidating Sharpay Evans is and how much she dreads the diva's brutal behaviour that will surely be aimed at her.

At least her brother seems unfazed by the news, though, standing calmly and unwavering as Sharpay shouts at him, and that fills Gabriella with some relief. Ryan might be Sharpay's twin, but he seems nice enough, and he doesn't seem to resent her as much as Sharpay does. That means there's at least one less person to worry about.

Gabriella gulps as suddenly a group of boys, led by Troy's friend with the afro, appear behind the twins. She might not have to worry about Ryan, but something tells her she probably will have to worry about these guys.

"What's up?" she can hear Troy's friend ask Sharpay, his tone amused, and Sharpay just turns around and pouts at the group of boys, before pointing to the cast list.

Troy's friend leans closer, but he doesn't say anything. Instead, he just shrugs, and he and his friends move on right away.

As the boys have disappeared, Ryan puts his hands on Sharpay's shoulders. "It will be okay, sis."

Something tells Gabriella that is not true, and Sharpay obviously seems to share this sentiment, for she just stomps her foot and breaks free from his grasp, before marching off.

Ryan glances one more time at the cast list, and then shakes his head and follows his sister out of sight.

Gabriella waits a minute, and as soon as she's sure she won't be spotted, she quickly hurries over the bulletin board to read the cast list.

She lets out a huge breath as her eyes scan over the words. The leads, Arnold and Minnie, have gone to Ryan and Sharpay, as expected, but next to the third character on the list, Mary, she sees her own name.

Gabriella Montez.

She has just been cast in the school musical. She would be lying if she didn't expect it, judging from Kelsi's enthusiasm after the audition and Sharpay's freak-out that she just witnessed, but she still feels pride and confidence rush through her as her eyes remain fixated on that one line that means so much more to her than a mere casting.

She, Gabriella Montez, is more than the freaky math girl. She's capable of being more than she thought she was, and that knowledge is liberating.

And when she is walking down the hallways later, she incidentally meets Troy's eyes and he winks at her, she can't help but remember their conversation after the auditions, and think about how much he admired her for putting herself out there.

She may have made a powerful enemy, and Sharpay may make her life in drama club hell, but it's worth it.

If she can take control of her own fate, all the terrible things will always be worth it.

* * *

Gabriella has been avoiding the Evans twins all day. Every time she sees them approaching, she attempts to hide in the most ridiculous of ways. She even found out there's a group of car mechanics working in the school, which is both baffling and amazing to her.

She also almost arrived late to homeroom, in the hopes that Ryan and Sharpay wouldn't pester her before the start of class, which didn't seem to please Ms. Darbus, and probably only drew attention to her.

However, she knows it's no good to keep avoiding the twins. She's going to have to face them eventually, and she'd rather have it be before rehearsals start, so they can start with a clear conscience.

Now, she's no fool, she knows that Sharpay won't accept any apology from her, but she wants to at least talk to them, assure them that she's just as dedicated to making a good show as they are, if not just for her own peace of mind.

So, when it's lunch time, she decides to take the leap. Walking into the cafeteria with her tray of food, she takes a shaky, deep breath and shakes her head as Taylor waves her over, instead looking up to see Sharpay, Ryan and Kelsi sitting on the upper floor of the cafeteria.

Her legs trembling beneath her frame, she decides to go for it, climbing the stairs slowly, feeling several pairs of eyes on her as she ascends the stairs – Taylor's, Sharpay's, Ryan's, Kelsi's, probably Troy's and his friends'.

Part of her knows that what she's doing is wrong – not only is she not adhering to the social rules by going up there, but facing Sharpay has also the potential to make the blonde's vendetta against her even worse.

Yet she keeps a straight face and ignores the beating of her heart against her ribcage as she arrives at the top of the stairs.

Gulping, she slowly makes her way over to the Evans twins and Kelsi, who are all watching her with mouths agape.

"Hi," she says, a little nervously, and she averts her gaze as Sharpay's mouth snaps shut and her eyes narrow in a vicious glare.

"What are you doing here?" Sharpay asks rudely, and Gabriella shrugs.

"I just wanted to talk to you about the cast list," she says quietly, and Sharpay raises her eyebrows.

"Are you here to celebrate that you got a role? Are you expecting me to congratulate you? Because if so, I'm sorry to break it to you, but this is not a one-woman show. There's several other people who got roles as well, my brother and myself included, and we actually got bigger parts than you. You're not that special."

Gabriella's eyes snap up again, meeting Sharpay's furious gaze, and she shakes her head as she takes a step closer, watching Sharpay's face twitch in response.

"No, that isn't why I'm here. I just wanted to let you know that I can't wait to work with you."

"The feeling is not mutual," Sharpay replies curtly before resuming her attention to her tray and scrunching her face as she picks up a bite of food with a fork and then drops on the plate again.

When Gabriella doesn't move, she looks up again and waves her hand at her. "Now, bye-bye."

This should have been the end of it. This would have been a perfect end to it. No dramatic breakdowns or humiliating experiences. Just a curt conversation, where Gabriella had her say and Sharpay made a couple of snide remarks in response.

Yet there's something that bothers Gabriella. She's not surprised that Sharpay has refused to be civil, but she is bothered by it. She may not like Sharpay and her unjust treatment of the other members of drama club, but she wants – no, she _needs_ – Sharpay to know that she means the drama club no harm, even if she refuses to listen to what she says.

So, she takes another step forward. And that's when it all comes crumbling down.

It seems like someone spilled something on the floor, because before she knows it, she's tripping and the entire content of her tray is spilled on Sharpay Evans's chest.

Her responding high-pitched scream is possibly even worse than this morning, and Gabriella feels herself freeze as suddenly every single pair of eyes in the cafeteria is on her.

Quickly, she scrambles forward and mutters profuse apologies as she starts wiping at Sharpay's neck, careful to avoid her chest, while Sharpay struggles against her as she continues to scream.

Amidst the chaos and humiliation, Gabriella notices that Sharpay's skin is really soft.

What a strange thing to think about right now.

As she continues wiping and Sharpay continues struggling, Gabriella suddenly feels a pair of arms around her waist, pulling her back. Looking back, she sees a wide-eyed Taylor, and as Taylor notions towards the exit with her head, Gabriella quickly nods and follows.

As she and Taylor hurry out of the cafeteria, she catches Troy's eyes for a quick glimpse, his gaze thoughtful and pitiful.

Just before she and Taylor exit, she suddenly hears Ms. Darbus's bellowing voice.

"What is going on here?!"

Sharpay, who has now stopped screaming, answers, "Gabriella Montez dumped her lunch on me! On purpose!"

Gabriella closes her eyes and sighs. If Sharpay didn't hate her before, she surely does now, and she wouldn't even blame her.

Her life just got even more complicated than it already is.

However, she has no time to dwell on it and throw herself a pity party, for Taylor has dragged her to the restroom and is now glaring at her.

"You auditioned?!"

Gabriella suddenly feels small under Taylor's scrutinizing gaze as she shrugs and tries to act casual. "Yeah, I did."

As Taylor just shakes her head incredulously, Gabriella quickly adds, "I'm still going to come to a scholastic decathlon meeting, I promise!"

"That's not what I care about," Taylor snaps, and Gabriella frowns.

As she opens her mouth to respond, Taylor shakes her head again. "I also don't really care that much about the status quo. What I _do_ care about is you."

That actually makes Gabriella smile. She may have only known Taylor for a short amount of time, but she has truly become something like a friend over the past few days.

There's actually someone who cares for her, besides her mother, and that feels good.

That being said, Taylor is being silly. There's nothing to be concerned about.

"You don't have to worry about me, I'll be fine," Gabriella insists, and Taylor rolls her eyes in response.

"I heard most of your conversation with Sharpay before you spilled your lunch on her and caused a scene. You can't possibly think that went well," Taylor retorts, and Gabriella feels herself flush with embarrassment.

"She really hates me, doesn't she?"

Taylor face softens at Gabriella's small voice, and she lays a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder. "Sharpay would gladly throw her own brother under the bus if that's what she needs to do to win. It's nothing personal, she just doesn't enjoy getting beaten out."

"But I didn't beat her out," Gabriella insists, almost desperately. "She got the lead, I only got a supporting role."

Taylor purses her lips contemplatively. "Are you a good singer?"

Gabriella blinks and averts her gaze as she thinks back to the audition, to Sharpay's look of horror and Darbus's mildly impressed face, before shrugging. "I guess I'm decent."

"Then there's your answer. If you're the least bit decent, she will feel threatened by you."

That makes Gabriella muster a small smile. She already knew that, but it feels weirdly satisfying to hear it be confirmed by someone else.

Sharpay thinks she's good. Sharpay feels threatened by her. For once, Gabriella isn't the one who is constantly threatened by the pretty blonde girl. For once, the roles are reversed. And that feels good.

"Like I said the other day, you need to careful around her, okay?" Taylor says warningly, and Gabriella can't wipe the smile off her face as she nods solemnly.

"Okay."

* * *

When the day has come to an end, and it seems like the stares that have been aimed at her since lunch are finally over, Gabriella finds a note in her locker, containing directions to a secret stairwell on to the roof.

She has her suspicions about who sent it, and she can't help but smile as she reads the note again, memorizing the directions, and goes off to follow them.

When she runs up the stairwell, she's blown away by what she finds up there. There are gorgeous, colourful plants everywhere, and the view over the mountaintops is stunning.

This is a good way to end the day.

"It's like a jungle up here!" she exclaims as she faces the smiling figure standing by the railing.

Troy.

"Yeah, it's a bit like the cafeteria after that little mishap," he says, his eyes widening immeasurably as an embarrassed blush rises to Gabriella's cheeks.

"Yeah, I humiliated myself into the next century," she agrees, and Troy shakes his head fervently.

"No, it really wasn't that bad," he reassures her. "All my friends had forgotten about it by the time we got to sixth period."

Gabriella gulps and nods in response, before pursing her lips. "I'm sure Sharpay hasn't forgotten about it."

Troy sighs in response, and shrugs as he waves around. "I figured you'd be upset. That's why I showed you this place. I figured you'd need it."

Gabriella can't help but muster a small smile, the first since she and Taylor had their heart-to-heart in the bathroom. Averting her gaze shyly, she walks over to the bench that's seated near the railing and sits down, hands folded neatly in her lap.

"Thank you," she says sincerely. "This place is really beautiful."

"Yeah," Troy sighs wistfully. "I come here when I'm overwhelmed and need to clear my mind."

Gabriella narrows her eyes curiously. "And what are the things that overwhelm you?"

Troy chuckles and looks down at his hands on the railing. "So many things. There's a lot of pressure on me, being the captain of the basketball team, and being the coach's son."

There's a crack in his voice when he says the word _son_ , and Gabriella's heart clenches as she realizes he must have a strained relationship with his father. As much as she resents that her mother is constantly being transferred, she could never imagine her mother putting so much pressure on her, or treating her like a brain rather than as her daughter.

Before she can say anything, offer any consoling words, Troy continues, "My parents' friends are always talking about how I'm such a good player and how my parents must be so proud, and my own friends can't talk about anything other than the upcoming games. It's tiring. I want to be more than just the basketball guy."

She and Troy are just the same, she realizes. The reason why she originally wanted to blend into the crowd at East High and why she ended up auditioning on a whim is that she wanted to be something more, something different. She just wanted to be herself instead of the freaky math girl, just like how he wants to be himself instead of the basketball guy.

"I know what you mean," she responds as Troy has gone silent, staring ahead thoughtfully.

"I've always been the freaky math girl," she explains when his head snaps to her, his gaze curious. "When I came here, I decided that I wanted to be myself for once. And I guess it worked, because when I was auditioning, I wasn't the freaky math girl. I was just a girl."

Troy suddenly grins mischievously. "You even looked like a girl!"

As she rolls her eyes, he laughs and comes to sit next to her, his eyes serious again.

"You really were brave for doing that. Even if Sharpay hates you for it."

Gabriella smiles as she tucks a strand of hair behind her ear bashfully. "You should have auditioned, too. I know it's scary, but it really does feel good to just be yourself."

As Troy grimaces in response, she offers him a sympathetic smile. "And if you're worried that your friends won't think you're cool anymore, then they're not worth it. Because the way you treated Kelsi and the way you sang with me, that's what makes you cool. Not basketball."

Troy blinks in response, averting his gaze and staring off into space for a second, before smiling meekly.

"I think the same goes for you," he says as their eyes meet again, and Gabriella feels warmth rush through her frame as she realizes it's not only what he needs to hear, but also what _she_ needs to hear.

She and Troy really are the same, and it feels so, so good to have someone who understands her fears and her desires.

Moreover, it makes her feel like she's not only doing the musical for herself, but also for him. And while this should be a huge pressure, it isn't. It just inspires her even more, to know that she's not only fighting for herself, but also for someone else. It makes all the worries worth it.

Averting her gaze, she stares at the mountaintops and feels the worries glide off her at the tranquil sight.

"Hey, if you want to come here more often, you're welcome to," Troy says, obviously noticing her calmness, and she smiles gratefully in response.

"Thanks. Maybe I will," she says, keeping her eyes focused on the view as a slow smile blossoms on her lips.

She may have humiliated herself today, but as she looks at this terrific view and listens to Troy's calm breathing, her mind is cleared and she finds that she doesn't care about the cafeteria mishap anymore.

Sharpay may never believe her, but she's truly excited to explore this new world of the stage and to help the musical become a great success.

And she can't wait to start.

* * *

 **A/N: Please leave a review if you like the story! I'm very interested to hear your thoughts!**


	4. Chapter 4

During the first rehearsal, Gabriella decides that it's best if she stays in the background and doesn't draw much attention to herself. It's the logical choice, given that she's inexperienced and still needs to learn a lot about how musical rehearsals work, and also considering the fact that Sharpay is probably still furious with her and would be willing to murder her for even the slightest mishap.

Moreover, she finds it interesting just to observe for a while before she gets more involved. She just wants to see what the drama club is like and get a sense of who these new people surrounding her are, before she can build up any confidence to draw attention to herself again.

Therefore, when she arrives in the auditorium for rehearsal, she gulps when she sees the circle of chairs on stage. She feels nervous that she doesn't have the safety guard of staying away from the stage, but choosing a seat that's furthest out of Ms. Darbus's direct line of sight, she figures she can be as invisible as she wants.

Staying out of Ms. Darbus's periphery also helps her avoid the Evans twins. Unlike at the auditions, when she approached them, she wants to stay away from them as far as possible, to avoid confrontation.

Sharpay hasn't talked to her or raged at her since what happened between them on Friday. Instead, she's given her the cold shoulder, which surprises Gabriella, given Sharpay's apparent bad temper, but it simultaneously fills her with a bit of relief.

If she could choose between being yelled at and being ignored, she'd much rather choose the latter option. Of course, she knows the cold shoulder won't last forever and Sharpay's anger will reach a boiling point eventually, but Gabriella would rather avoid thinking of that inevitably as long as Sharpay keeps up her current attitude.

Sharpay and her brother arrive to the auditorium just a few minutes after Gabriella, and Gabriella feels dreadful as Sharpay's eyes lock on her immediately. Maybe when she's at a place where she holds more power than Gabriella in every way – being the president, being more experienced, being the lead actress –, Sharpay will finally feel like she can rip Gabriella a new one.

It doesn't happen. There's still that ever present fury in her eyes, but Sharpay just averts her gaze after a second and huffs indignantly as she sits down on a chair outside of Gabriella's line of sight, her head held high. Ryan grimaces at Gabriella, before following his sister, and Gabriella slumps in her seat as she lets out a sigh.

It's only a matter of time.

At least Ms. Darbus seems to be in a cheerful mood, smiling from ear to ear as she welcomes everyone to her so-called hallowed hall and asks Kelsi to hand out scripts to everyone.

When Kelsi arrives at Gabriella's seat and hands her the scripts, she smiles.

"I'm glad you're here," she whispers, and Gabriella can't help but return her smile, once again reminded of why she's here and why she's brought the wrath of someone like Sharpay Evans upon herself.

She's here to fight. For herself, for Kelsi, for Troy.

And, when they're all going reading through the script together for the first time, she realizes that it's really necessary.

It's almost jarring, how often Sharpay offers commentary and Kelsi slumps back in her seat as Ms. Darbus goes along with Sharpay's suggestions without second thought. It's similarly jarring how no one else, not even Ryan, the other lead, or Kelsi, the writer and composer, seems to have suggestions at all.

Sharpay has Ms. Darbus and the drama club completely under her control.

When they arrive at the scene where the leads sing _What I've Been Looking For_ , the audition song, Gabriella's aggravation with Sharpay has reached great heights, and it doesn't help that it appears that Ms. Darbus intends to use her sped-up version of the song instead of Kelsi's original.

So, when Sharpay raises her hand again, Gabriella almost rolls her eyes.

"Something doesn't seem to be working here," the blonde says as she narrows her eyes on the script thoughtfully. "Arnold and Minnie are still so tentative around each other at this point. It doesn't make sense that they would break into song right now and sing about their feelings to each other so confidently."

Her point does make sense, Gabriella thinks, but as she looks at Kelsi, who looks like she might start crying at any moment, she remembers how lovely and vulnerable the song sounded in the slower arrangement. Of course it doesn't work in the current version, because the arrangement is all wrong.

She watches Ms. Darbus carefully as the older woman taps her chin thoughtfully, before nodding. "You're right, Ms. Evans. Maybe we should move the song to a different place in the play."

"Or maybe we should get rid of it altogether!"

Gabriella's eyebrows raise incredulously as she notices the gleeful glint in Sharpay's eyes. Why would she want to remove this song? It's a good song, no matter which arrangement is used. It makes no sense to get rid of it. There should be other solutions.

She's so flabbergasted about Sharpay's suggestion that she barely thinks before speaking up.

"What if we used Kelsi's original arrangement instead?"

All eyes turn to her, and Gabriella gulps as she remembers how that same thing happened last Friday, and how that ended for her.

As Ms. Darbus motions for her to keep talking, Gabriella fiddles with her fingers, before explaining, "Well, the problem is that it feels too open and confident. In the original arrangement, the song is much smaller and more vulnerable. A smaller song would make much more sense."

Gabriella doesn't dare to look at Sharpay, who is most likely furious, but when she instead looks at Kelsi, who is now smiling brightly, she suddenly feels a lot more confident as her gaze returns to Ms. Darbus to gauge her reaction.

"That's actually a good point, Ms. Montez," Ms. Darbus concedes after a moment of contemplation. "I think we should do it."

While both Gabriella and Kelsi grin brightly in response, Sharpay suddenly lets out a furious grunt as she stands up and marches over to Ms. Darbus.

"Are you seriously letting someone with so little experience decide what we're doing?" she all but shouts as she points to Gabriella, who feels her cheeks warm up with embarrassment.

The cold shoulder is over. Sharpay is erupting.

Ms. Darbus doesn't seem to be impressed by Sharpay's rage, though. Calmly, she states, "It was a good idea. And don't you want what's best for the musical?"

"Of course I do," Sharpay says, before turning to glare viciously at Gabriella. "But I have my doubts about her intentions. I told you in the cafeteria on Friday, Ms. Darbus, she's out to get me."

Gabriella feels her eyes grow wide, and a feeling of anger flicker inside of her as well.

She figured that Sharpay would lash out at her over what happened in the cafeteria at some point, but Gabriella feels offended at the notion that she has malign intent. She's only done all of this for the means of self-exploration, and to help Kelsi, not out of personal spite against Sharpay.

Before she can speak up for herself, Ms. Darbus puts up a hand to stop Sharpay. "And as I told you, I see no evidence to suggest that."

Then, Ms. Darbus turns to Gabriella, a harsh glare on her face. "Speaking of what happened on Friday, though, I'd like to see you in detention tomorrow, Ms. Montez."

As Gabriella bites her lip and nods embarrassedly in response, Sharpay just smirks with satisfaction.

"But we're still using Kelsi's arrangement," Ms. Darbus continues, and Sharpay's smirk is immediately wiped from her face.

"But, Ms. Darbus, the sped-up arrangement is so much better. Don't we want to keep people awake?"

Gabriella's eyes grow wide and Kelsi frowns dejectedly, but Ms. Darbus seems unfazed by Sharpay's insult, just shaking her head. "It's a good song, Ms. Evans, and it fixes the problem you so kindly raised. And if I hear you complain one more time, you'll be joining Ms. Montez in detention."

"Fine!" Sharpay exclaims angrily, before stomping back to her seat. As she sits down, she crosses her arms, sulking, and swats Ryan's hand away as he tries to squeeze her shoulder.

The remainder of the rehearsal, neither Gabriella nor Sharpay speak up again, and Gabriella can feel Sharpay's glaring eyes never leave her.

Gabriella doesn't regret speaking up, though. It was the right thing to do. And if that is what caused Sharpay to lash out at her, then so be it.

And, if she were honest, a small part of her even enjoys riling up Sharpay. A part of her enjoys the challenge. A part of her is more intrigued by Sharpay than she should be.

She doesn't know why, but a part of her enjoys seeing the fury light up in Sharpay's eyes.

A part of her can't stay away.

* * *

Sharpay is angry. No, angry is too mild a word. She is furious, _outraged_.

How dare Gabriella Montez come into the drama club, which practically only stays afloat due to her and her brother's contributions, and think she can offer suggestions and commentary that go directly against her ideas?

Furthermore, how dare Gabriella offer suggestions that are better than hers?

Of course, she has already thought of Gabriella's suggestion before, but she has decided that it would be better for her personally to suggest something different.

However, Ms. Darbus and Gabriella are right. Her own suggestion was made out of selfish reasons, one being that she genuinely thinks Kelsi's ballads are boring, and the other one being something too embarrassing to even say aloud. Gabriella's suggestion, on the other hand, definitely improves the musical and the story they're trying to tell, and that infuriates Sharpay.

How dare Gabriella Montez do anything that is better than what Sharpay does?

"What was that all about?"

It doesn't help that even Ryan seems to agree with Gabriella, judging by the way he's pursing his lip in annoyance, standing still against the doorframe to her room as he waits for an answer.

It could also be that he's just annoyed at her for losing her temper in the middle of rehearsal, but she's not going to apologize for not going down without a fight.

Sharpay shrugs casually. "It was just a disagreement."

Ryan lets out a disbelieving laugh as he walks into the room and sits down on the chair standing by her vanity mirror.

"Shar, that was more than a disagreement," he says pointedly, and Sharpay shrugs again as she quirks an eyebrow.

"I told you, I don't trust that girl. She's trouble. You can't tell me you still can't see it? She dumped her lunch on me! She got our arrangement of _What I've Been Looking For_ , which our rehearsal pianist worked very hard and tirelessly on, removed from the show, just like that!"

"I still think the lunch thing was probably an accident," Ryan says, ignoring Sharpay's responding scowl. "And you were trying to get the entire song shafted from the show. Which I don't really get, because I thought you liked that song."

She did. She does. Musically, there's nothing wrong with the song – well, the up-tempo arrangement, at least; the original one remains dreadful. It's just that every time she hears this song now, she thinks of Gabriella. She thinks of that dreadful audition, and the sparkle in her pretty brown eyes as they held eye contact steadfastly throughout a large portion of the song, and it makes her feel uneasy.

She doesn't want to be reminded of that memory constantly. She wants to forget it, and erase those damn eyes from her mind.

She's not going to admit that out loud, though.

"I just didn't think it fit," she says instead, and Ryan sighs and rolls his eyes.

"I hope you know you're being difficult."

"And I hope you know you're being a bad brother," she retorts without second thought, immediately feeling guilty as Ryan's face falls into a deep frown.

Sighing as she leaps from her bed, she approaches him and pouts in what she hopes is an adorable fashion. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. I just feel like you're taking her side over mine."

Ryan sighs, too, as he shakes his head and his lips form a thin grimace. "I've told you, I am always on your side. I just don't think she's worth getting riled up over constantly, especially when you and I know both know that you're more talented than she could ever dream of being."

Sharpay scoffs. "Well, at least she's proven my point today. Maybe this suggestion wasn't that bad, but it was probably just a fluke. Her next suggestion is probably going to make the musical worse. Hell, she'll probably end up ruining the entire production."

"If it's a bad suggestion, Ms. Darbus won't allow it," Ryan answers with a shrug. "Come on, you've got to give her more credit than that."

Sharpay rolls her eyes. "No, Ms. Darbus loves her and would do anything she says, I can tell. She's like that with anyone who has at least the tiniest bit of talent."

Ryan's eyebrows furrow. "Don't we have talent?"

"Exactly."

Ryan rolls his eyes again, before sighing. "Sis, I don't understand why you're so adamant about this girl being evil or the song not fitting, but you need to let it go. You know what mom always says – worrying will just give you frown lines."

At that, Sharpay blinks and touches her forehead as she relaxes her face, but the worries don't dissipate.

She wishes she could get let it go like Ryan says, but she can't. She can't shake those doe-eyes, she can't shake that squeaky, sweet voice, she can't shake anything about this girl.

With a huff, she shakes her head. "No. She has to be destroyed. At the very least, we have to get her out of the musical and the drama club. We have to do _something_ to save what is sacred to us."

"Sharpay…" Ryan sighs, warningly, as he rubs his temple with exasperation, but Sharpay just waves his annoyance off.

"Come on, Ryan, it's our duty!"

Although she shows him her cutest pout again, he doesn't seem to fall for it, throwing his hands up in the air in defeat. "Whatever. I tried. Just don't let her consume you. She's not worth it."

And then he stands up and leaves her room. And she's alone with her thoughts again.

Consumed by that infuriating girl and her sparkly eyes.

* * *

The next day, Sharpay starts to understand where Ryan is coming from, when she's walking down the hallways and suddenly swears she can hear Gabriella's voice, sweet yet slightly squeaky, sing.

Cocking her head in confusion and alarm, she quickly looks around to see if she can spot Gabriella everywhere.

Nothing.

Is she hallucinating Gabriella's voice now? God, Ryan was right. She's in way too deep. She needs to take a step back and breathe, to refocus.

Walking towards the bathroom to splash some water on her face to get rid of Gabriella's voice inside her head, she feels her face turn down into a grimace when she finds out she wasn't imagining anything at all.

Gabriella Montez is there, with the sheet music to one of the songs, _Breaking Free_. Her eyes widen considerably as she stares at Sharpay in the entrance, and Sharpay rolls her eyes as she steps forward and walks towards the sinks, checking out her own reflection in the mirror.

From the corner of her eye, she can see that Gabriella is still staring at her, wide-eyed, and she quirks an eyebrow in response. "What?"

Blinking in astonishment at Sharpay's loud voice, Gabriella averts her gaze and stares at the floor nervously for a few seconds, before squeaking, "Hi."

Sharpay sends her a sarcastic smile, before rummaging in her purse to find her lipstick. Might as well take this moment to do some touching up on her make-up, she supposes.

Gabriella just watches as Sharpay applies her lipstick, opening her mouth several times, but closing it before saying anything.

"You know, I heard you singing before I came in," Sharpay finally breaks the silence after smacking her lips, and she briefly wonders why the hell she's engaging in conversation with Gabriella Montez.

Gabriella just blushes in response, looking down at the paper still in her hands, before shrugging. "Yeah, Kelsi gave me the song, and I figured it wouldn't hurt to practice a little bit."

Sharpay lets out a short laugh as she puts the lipstick back in her purse and turns around, leaning against the sink.

"Yeah, you're gonna need all the practice you can get," she retorts, watching with a sarcastic smirk as Gabriella frowns dejectedly in response.

However, she recovers quickly, looking down at the paper again and smiling half-heartedly. "Yeah, I know, I'm inexperienced. You've told me."

Sharpay scowls for a second at Gabriella's playful exasperation and the fact that she doesn't seem affected by her insult, but then Gabriella looks up and Sharpay sees a spark in her eyes.

She's become used to the sparks in Gabriella's eyes by now – thanks to the dreadful memories from the auditions that won't stop haunting her –, but this is different.

It's not fear or determination or curiosity in her eyes right now, but rather something else. It's almost like she wants to ask Sharpay something, but doesn't know how to.

And, as Gabriella's gaze keeps flickering back and forth between the sheet music and her, Sharpay realizes what is going on.

Of course Gabriella is inexperienced. Sharpay has reminded her of that to taunt her and to legitimize her own hatred for this girl she's only known for a little over a week, but it's also a harsh truth.

And it seems that Gabriella needs help. As naturally talented as she is, she's quite obviously not an experienced singer and she's still learning to control her voice and to use the proper techniques. And that so happens to be something that Sharpay is good at.

Sharpay smirks. Gabriella needs her help. Finally, she has the upper hand.

And there's certainly no harm in making sure that Gabriella knows what her shortcomings are.

"You know, your voice is a little nasal," she tells Gabriella, using her fakest sweet voice. "You need to breathe less through your nose and more through your stomach when you're singing. That would make that squeaky voice of yours slightly more bearable to listen to."

Sharpay expects Gabriella's face to fall, but instead, she narrows her eyes on Sharpay thoughtfully for a split second, before her face splits into a genuine grin.

"Ah, yes, that makes sense!" she exclaims, immediately grabbing a pen from her bag, ignoring a confused and irritated Sharpay as she scribbled something down on the sheet music, before looking up again. "Any other suggestions?"

Sharpay purses her lips. This is not going according to plan. Gabriella is supposed to feel insecure. She's not actually supposed to be taking this as genuinely well-intentioned feedback.

Okay, enough of the actual feedback on her vocals. Maybe Sharpay needs to try something else to intimidate her.

"You know, you shouldn't be singing in the bathroom, actually," she says, as she waves her hand around. "The acoustics are very different than in the auditorium and literally anyone could walk in on you. You wouldn't want to embarrass yourself in front of the cheerleaders, don't you?"

Moreover, it wouldn't make Sharpay think she's losing her mind, but Gabriella doesn't need to know just _how_ bothered she is by her.

Gabriella blushes with embarrassment, fiddling with her pen as she mumbles, "Well, I've already humiliated myself in front of the entire cafeteria, so I don't have much of my dignity to lose."

Sharpay scoffs at the memory. "You humiliated me too, and you ruined one of my favourite blazers, so excuse me if I don't feel sorry for you."

Gabriella musters a meek smile in response and nods, before opening her mouth, probably to grovel for an apology, and Sharpay feels her smirk return as she realizes things are finally about to get good.

However, just then, the bell rings, startling both of them.

They stare at each other for a moment afterwards, unsure of how to end this conversation, before Gabriella suddenly rushes to stuff her pen and her sheet music in her bag, before running to the exit of the bathroom.

Before she leaves, she turns around to send Sharpay another genuine smile, and Sharpay feels an urge to strangle her just for that curl of lips.

"Thanks for the tip," Gabriella says, and Sharpay shoots her a fake smile in advance as she waves sarcastically.

"Remember to breathe through your nose!"

As Gabriella disappears from view, Sharpay's smile turns into a scowl as she turns back to the mirror, inspecting her own face thoroughly as she wonders if she has lost her intimidating touch.

Why won't Gabriella be intimidated by her? And why does she always keep losing the upper hand?

* * *

Gabriella enjoys being in the musical.

Despite the many stares she has received since last Friday and the wrath of Sharpay she has brought upon herself, she's really enjoying herself, meeting new people and learning new things.

One of those great things about the musical is Kelsi. She and Kelsi have a lot in common, she's starting to realize. Both of them are shy – although Gabriella is starting to get over that more and more –, both of them have been taunted by the likes of Sharpay Evans, both of them are passionate and determined, and, as it turns out, both of them care a lot about helping others.

It was kind of Kelsi to give her extra songs to practice, so she can improve her vocals for the musical. At the time, Kelsi had told her it was a gift in return for Gabriella standing up for her, but Gabriella can sense that Kelsi isn't only interested in returning favours, but she's also interested in genuinely helping her further.

And she really needs the help, she's found out. Not only with the actual singing, but also with handling Sharpay Evans.

Now, she knows that Kelsi isn't going to explicitly stand up to Sharpay, but she's just glad to have at least one person in her corner in the drama club, who will give her words of encouragement when she needs them.

The thing is, though, that she feels like Sharpay, of all people, could be that kind of person, too.

Gabriella is no fool. The other day, when they ran into each other in the bathroom, Sharpay wasn't giving her advice out of the goodness of her heart. She was trying to tear her down, bring out her insecurities. But Sharpay's advice was _good_. Gabriella has been trying very hard to breathe through her stomach more than her nose lately, and she feels like it has genuinely helped.

And apparently, she's not the only one that notices.

"Your vocals have improved," Kelsi says as they sit down in the rehearsal room for the one-on-one rehearsal they've scheduled – they're really just hanging out, though, even though neither of them has admitted that out loud.

Gabriella smiles. "Thanks. I ran into Sharpay the other day and she advised me to breathe through my stomach more and it has really helped!"

Kelsi closes her eyes for a second, before shaking her head with exasperation. "Sharpay is giving you advice? Please don't take anything she says to heart."

Gabriella laughs as she reaches up for her cup of tea on top of the piano and takes a sip. "Yeah, I know she's only doing it to intimidate me. But it did actually help."

"That's Sharpay for you," Kelsi says, suddenly staring ahead forlornly. "She knows exactly how to play on your insecurities and beat you down."

Gabriella bites her lip as she puts her cup down again. "Does she do it to everyone?"

Kelsi shrugs. "Yeah, to anyone who's in her way. And also sometimes just because she thinks it's fun."

"So, that's why she has so much power in the drama club? Because everyone fears her?"

As Kelsi shrugs and nods, Gabriella sighs. "Even Ms. Darbus?"

"Oh, no, Ms. Darbus just loves her because she and Ryan are the most talented performers," Kelsi answers, before nudging Gabriella. "Well, they _were_ , at least."

They still are, Gabriella thinks. As much as she tries, she is nowhere near Sharpay's level of experience and talent. And she doesn't feel like she needs to be – she doesn't feel inadequate with what she has –, but it doesn't sit well with her that this gives Sharpay power over her.

As Gabriella stares ahead thoughtfully, memories of Sharpay's attempts at intimidation whirling through her mind, Kelsi suddenly stands up from the piano. "Maybe we should take a break. More tea?"

Gabriella smiles and nods, standing up as well before they walk to a table that is sat in the middle of the room.

"I'm really glad that you're here, you know," Kelsi says as they sit down, her thumb circling over the rim of her mug. "It's refreshing to see someone who's not intimidated by Sharpay."

Gabriella lets out a disbelieving laugh. "Are you kidding me? I'm terrified of when her next outburst will be. But I just can't stand it when people treat others unfairly like she does. Someone has to do something. That's why I went through with joining the drama club in the first place."

As Kelsi looks at her questioningly, she explains, "I auditioned on a whim. I didn't decide to actually go through with it if I got a role until I spoke with you afterwards."

Kelsi grins shyly and looks down at her cup. "Well, I'm glad you did. And I'm really glad you helped me, because my arrangements have never been selected for the musical before."

As Kelsi looks up again, there's a brightness in her eyes that makes Gabriella smile. She's so happy, so proud, and it kills Gabriella that this brightness has been put to slumber for way too long. Kelsi deserves to be appreciated and feel like she's good enough.

So, she reaches out and squeezes her hand. "Your song deserves to be in the show. It's amazing."

Kelsi blushes and giggles. "Thanks. I really appreciate your help, especially since Sharpay probably hates you more than she hates anyone else right now. No one has defied her like that, ever."

"Well, it's high time someone did."

Kelsi nods. "Maybe she's finally met her match."

Gabriella blinks and look down at her teacup as she contemplates that.

She's not entirely sure if she fully believes what Kelsi is saying – Sharpay is still much more powerful than she is –, but there is some truth to it. The entire reason that Sharpay is so angry at her is that she feels as if Gabriella is a threat to her, as if they're on a similar level.

It's too bad that this apparently upsets Sharpay, because strangely enough, Gabriella seems to have changed her mind about Sharpay since their impromptu meeting in the bathroom. She has begun to realize that they might actually be good for each other if there wasn't so much animosity between them. Sharpay could show Gabriella the world of theatre, and Gabriella could probably teach Sharpay a little something about treating your peers with respect.

They really could encourage each other to become better.

As that thought enters her mind, Gabriella suddenly feels a feeling of melancholy settle in her stomach. Despite her initial wariness of the girl and the confirmation of her suspicions by means of everything that's happened between them so far, Gabriella feels a longing for a truce with Sharpay. As opposite as their personalities and goals are, they could really learn from each other, and it's a really shame that Sharpay feels so threatened by Gabriella that she can't see past her own misguided hatred.

She wishes Sharpay would just give her a chance. She knows they won't be best friends, but she really hates the hostility between them.

She really hates the way that Sharpay treats the drama club unfairly, but she also hates the way that Sharpay treats _her_ unfairly. She wishes there was a way to stop it, or to stop being so bothered by it.

She knows not everyone is always going to like her, but she still feels a pang of hurt at the thought that someone she barely knows, someone she could learn a lot from, loathes her with such unbridled passion.

She wishes she could fix it, convince Sharpay that she's not as bad as she seems, start over after they got off on completely the wrong foot.

She has a feeling that they could be great for each other if they did that.

Realizing she's been quiet for a while, Gabriella looks up at Kelsi again and smiles. "Maybe we are a match."

She really wishes they were.

* * *

 **A/N: I hope it doesn't feel weird and unnatural for Gabriella to have this change of heart. I think it is in character for her, as I always imagine that Gabriella, in any scenario, would have preferred to be friends with Sharpay over their rivalry, and would have been the first to open up to the possibility that they could challenge each other in good ways if they just got over themselves. I hope this comes across well, because to be honest, I've found it very difficult to write the enemies to lovers aspect of this story, lol. Anyway, please leave a review if you can, I would really appreciate that!**


	5. Chapter 5

"How about we go through the scene where Minnie tells Mary about Arnold?"

There's only two possible reasons as to why the first scene they're practicing today is one between Sharpay and Gabriella. Ms. Darbus is out for them, or she's forcing them to get along. And Gabriella can't even blame Ms. Darbus if it's the second option, really, since Minnie and Mary's friendship is an essential part of the plot and if the actresses don't get along, that's no good.

However, that doesn't mean she's looking forward to spending one-on-one time with Sharpay. Well, at least, that's what she tells herself.

She's still wary of the diva's behaviour directed towards her, but after her revelation that she and Sharpay would be good to each other as friends, she's become… curious about her.

All that Gabriella really knows about Sharpay is that she's an ambitious actress who enjoys power, and there must be more to her than that.

She doesn't think Sharpay will reveal anything more about herself to her, though. Much like Gabriella herself before she came to East High, Sharpay seems emotionally closed off, afraid and unwilling to show her true self to others, or at least to Gabriella.

The only thing she will show Gabriella is hostility and her ability to intimidate, and today will be no exception, as she glares daggers at Gabriella upon hearing Ms. Darbus's directions, before turning to their teacher.

"But Ms. Darbus! Wouldn't it be wise to start off with a scene of Arnold and Minnie? After all, they are the main characters, and my brother and I are the most experienced performers," Sharpay states, before turning back to Gabriella and smiling phonily. "Ryan and I could teach our less experienced peers how it's done."

From the corner of her eye, Gabriella sees Ryan roll his eyes and Kelsi shoot Gabriella an annoyed look, but she keeps a straight face as she stares right into Sharpay's eyes.

Sharpay won't get her down.

Ms. Darbus shakes her head. "No, I want you to perform this scene."

Sharpay pouts for a second, before a realization seems to dawn on her and her face morphs into a smirk. "Actually, never mind. I think it's a great idea, Ms. Darbus."

"It is?" Ryan perks up, confused, while Gabriella blinks in astonishment, before bracing herself for the explanation.

Surely, Sharpay is aiming to hurl another insult her way.

"Well, yes, Gabriella is new and we haven't seen her acting yet. I'm sure she'll need a lot of notes, and by letting her practice early, we could get ahead of it."

There it is.

Gabriella grimaces in response, while Ms. Darbus purses her lips in annoyance, before admitting, "That was one of my reasons, actually, although I wouldn't put it that way."

Sharpay has the decency to slump down a little when Ms. Darbus sends her a fierce warning glare, but Gabriella's face sours even more as she realizes what kind of pressure she's under right now.

She knows Ms. Darbus means well, though, but she knows that Sharpay is going to do everything in her power to make Gabriella feel like she's a bad actress and that she doesn't belong here.

God, it's been a little over a week since that audition, and Gabriella is already so tired.

As Ms. Darbus motions for them to come up, she sighs as she trudges up there, exchanging a brief smile and knowing look with Kelsi.

At least she's not facing the audience, so she won't get too much stage fright, she thinks as she turns to face Sharpay, who's still smirking.

"I hope you know what you're getting yourself into," she whispers tauntingly, and Gabriella just smiles in return, before turning to her script, letting her eyes scan her lines one more time before they start the scene.

"And, action!"

And, then, Sharpay transforms. Gone is the smug smirk, and the harsh coldness in her eyes, replaced by a dreamy, soft glow and the first genuine smile Gabriella has ever seen on her face.

In the back of mind, she registers that Sharpay's smile is very pretty.

"Oh, Mary, I've met someone," Sharpay says with a wistful sigh and for a second, Gabriella is startled by her change in demeanour.

She really is a good actress. There's no way around it – Gabriella is impressed.

Scrambling to regain her composure after a split second of being amazed, Gabriella quickly lets an excited smile blossom on her face as well. "Tell me more!"

A quick flash of the harshness returns to Sharpay's eyes for a split second, before she hides it with another happy sigh. "I just met him at the market and Mary, he's wonderful!"

"What is his name?" Gabriella asks, and Sharpay sits down next to her, not too close as she starts rambling about Arnold as if he's a real person and she's really in love with him, and as if she and Gabriella are real friends, sharing laughter and deep secrets and smiles.

How Gabriella wishes this were real. How she wishes her stomach didn't flutter in pleasure at pretending to be so close to Sharpay. How she wishes Sharpay would smile at her for real.

However, this is not the time to long for Sharpay, so she pushes those thoughts to the back of her mind and continues playing along, revelling in this fantasy as long as she possibly can.

And so the scene continues, until Ms. Darbus yells, "And scene!"

Immediately, the coldness returns to Sharpay's demeanour as she stands up a little straighter and her eyes narrow at Gabriella.

"Brava!" Ms. Darbus exclaims. "Ms. Montez, you were a little nervous and wooden in the beginning, but all in all, that was very good for the first time. For both of you. You have chemistry."

Both pairs of eyes widen in response. They have chemistry? While they have such a hostile relationship?

That makes no sense.

Gabriella bites her lip as she locks eyes with Sharpay, who looks furious as always, before the blonde smiles at Ms. Darbus and storms off the stage without saying anything else.

With a sigh, Gabriella follows and takes a seat next to Kelsi, who sends her an encouraging smile.

"You were great," Kelsi whispers in her ear, and Gabriella moves her head down and blushes in response.

Apparently, she was good because she has _chemistry_ with Sharpay. Maybe she wasn't so far off to think that there's some potential there.

She just wishes Sharpay could see that, too.

So, after rehearsal, she decides to put herself out there, to try to be the better person and to approach Sharpay.

"Hey," she says as she walks up to Sharpay, who looks around in confusion, before sending her a glare.

"What do you want?"

"I just wanted to let you know that I enjoyed acting with you. You're very talented."

Sharpay rolls her eyes. "Of course I am. Do you think I don't know that?"

Gabriella shakes her head and laughs. "I could learn a lot from you."

Sharpay quirks an eyebrow, before smirking. "Well, yeah, Ms. Darbus was just trying to be nice, your inexperience really showed."

Gabriella sighs. "Sharpay, please stop."

As Sharpay's smirk grows increasingly smug, Gabriella shakes her head, before continuing, "Look, I know you're only pointing out my inexperience and my flaws to tear me down. It's not working, but your advice actually did help. You and I both know you just want this musical to be a success, and wouldn't it be best for the musical if we got along?"

Sharpay's eyes widen and her voice rises an octave with rage and panic as she asks, "Are you asking me to be your friend?!"

"I'm just asking you to open yourself up a little," Gabriella responds with a shrug, before motioning around. "I mean, look what happened to me when I opened up myself."

"You ruined my life, that's what happened!" Sharpay snaps with a furious scowl and Gabriella purses her lips in response, unsure of what to say about that.

Gabriella shrugs again. "Just thought I'd give you some food for thought, I guess."

And then she walks off, leaving behind a perplexed and enraged Sharpay, and lets out a heavy breath she doesn't know she was holding.

At least she tried.

* * *

Somehow, Gabriella's conversation with Sharpay after rehearsal has made Sharpay's behaviour even worse. Gabriella can see it in the way she storms through the hallways the next day, and it scares her a little.

All this time, she thought Sharpay was the one with the power, but it seems that she holds power over Sharpay as well. It's terrifying to hold such power over someone, to make them so angry.

As Sharpay approaches Gabriella's locker, where she's standing with Taylor, she sends Gabriella one of her most terrifying death glares yet and Gabriella is already mentally bracing herself, before Sharpay gets distracted by bumping into what seems to be an innocent freshman.

"I'm so sorry!" the boy exclaims, and Sharpay puts her hand on her hip as she glares at him furiously.

"Watch where you're going, you freak!" she shouts, and Gabriella almost wants to step in to defend the poor boy, who is cowering under Sharpay's gaze.

This is not this poor boy's fault in any way. Sharpay wasn't watching where she was going, and furthermore, her beef isn't with this random freshman she bumped into, it's with Gabriella.

It's unfair to take it out on this kid.

Yet she doesn't step in, just exchanging a wary glance with Taylor as they watch the scene unfold.

"I… I know. It's my fault. I said I'm sorry," the boy stammers, and Sharpay just keeps her angry eyes trained on him for a second.

"Then why are you still standing here? Move!" Sharpay roars, but the boy stays frozen with fear as Sharpay only waits a split second to step closer to him threateningly.

"I told you to move," she hisses menacingly. "If you don't move right this second, I will murder you."

That seems to do the trick, as the boy blinks, before quickly scurrying off, Sharpay's angry eyes following him until he's out of sight.

Then, she seems to realize she's caught a lot of looks from bypassing students and musters a fake smile. "Nothing to see here!"

And with a dissatisfied grunt, she walks off with large, angry strides.

"She seems to be in a mood," Taylor comments half-heartedly as Gabriella turns back to her locker to grab a book from it with a sigh.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's because of me."

Taylor raises her eyebrows. "I knew Sharpay could hold grudges, but it's been two weeks since what happened in the cafeteria. Why would she only be in this sour mood now?"

"I don't think it is because of the cafeteria," Gabriella admits as she closes her locker and leans her back against it. "There's been more disagreements between us since then."

Taylor lets out a thoughtful sound. "I would ask how the musical is going, but I guess that's my answer right there."

Gabriella shakes her head vigorously. "No, I actually really love doing the musical. It's been a lot of fun. Sharpay just can't warm up to me, that's all."

Taylor laughs and crosses her arms, shooting Gabriella a knowing look. "Can't or won't?"

Gabriella rolls her eyes playfully. "Won't."

Suddenly, the bell rings and Taylor's eyes widen. "Let's go."

As they walk towards homeroom together silently, Gabriella can't shake the incident that they just witnessed. Of course she knows she plays a large part in Sharpay's foul mood, but Sharpay's anger was so… strong. Is Sharpay really that upset just because Gabriella tried to call for a truce? Why would a request to bury the hatchet makes things that much worse?

Does Sharpay really hate her _that_ much? And why does that notion break Gabriella's heart a little?

"Do you want to talk about it?" Taylor snaps her out of her thoughts, and Gabriella blinks as she looks up, realizing she has been frowning deeply while in thought.

"Not really," Gabriella says, shaking her head before biting her lip. "I guess I'm just a little bothered that Sharpay is this angry because I tried to make peace with her."

Taylor merely shrugs in response. "I told you, that girl holds grudges."

She knows that, and she knows that Sharpay shouldn't bother her that much, but she does. Ever since she realized how much Sharpay could help her, she's been so bothered by this rivalry between them.

She wishes they could be more than vengeful enemies.

"I'm sure she'll get used to you eventually," Taylor continues, her voice and her face softening a little. "It will just take a long time."

Gabriella sighs. "I guess so."

As they arrive in the classroom, Gabriella shoots a smile at Troy, before walking to her seat in the back of the room. Taylor follows her, suddenly smiling excitedly.

"We're still on for this afternoon, right?" she asks, and Gabriella can't help but smile at Taylor's excitement as she nods.

"Yes, I will attend your scholastic decathlon meeting," she assures her, and Taylor throws a fist in the air in excitement, sending Gabriella into a fit of giggles.

"I can't wait!"

As Taylor settles in her own seat, shooting Gabriella one last excited smile, Gabriella's eyes wander to Sharpay and she sighs.

She really is excited for the scholastic decathlon meeting, if not just to be somewhere where she feels welcomed.

She hates how much Sharpay's attitude towards her bothers her so much. She loves the musical, but there will always be that pink cloud of dread hanging over it, and it will only get worse the more time she and Sharpay spend together.

She hates that she has the power to anger Sharpay. She hates that they won't just get along.

She hates that she _wants_ them to get along.

* * *

Gabriella finds that it's nice to have people who are on her side, who are truly her friends. It's nice to have someone like Taylor, who watches out for her, and someone like Kelsi, who helps her.

It's nice to have someone like Troy, who understands her.

Their little meetings on the rooftop during free period have become a nearly daily habit, and it's nice to be able to talk to him and really feel like he's listening.

"You looked a little upset this morning," is the first thing that comes out his mouth as she climbs the stairs today, and Gabriella smiles meekly in response.

"I just have a lot on my mind," she admits, as she walks up to the railing to stand beside him, looking out at the comforting view.

With a sigh, she feels all the worries fall off her for a moment in an instant.

Troy's eyes, however, are not on the mountaintops. Instead, she can feel his concerned gaze drill into the side of her face.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asks, and Gabriella bites her lip in response.

She really does want to talk about it. When Taylor asked her about it this morning, she felt a little hesitant to discuss what is bothering her. As well-intentioned as Taylor is, she doesn't really understand the impasse Gabriella is in with Sharpay.

For some reason, Gabriella thinks that Troy might be able to understand her, though.

"Sharpay has been wearing me down a lot," she admits as she turns to meet Troy's gaze, which darkens a little as he winces in understanding.

"She's… a lot to handle sometimes," Troy agrees, his hand flying up to his neck. "She used to have a crush on me. I think she still does actually. She's very… intense about it."

Gabriella can't help but grin, somehow not surprised that Sharpay would be one of Troy's many admirers, but she's also a little amused by his obvious discomfort.

Taylor's words that wrongfully implied that he was a ladies' man swirl through her head, and somehow, she starts to wonder if this is what is wrong with Sharpay, too.

For all their differences, Troy and Gabriella have one thing in common – they feel misunderstood. Maybe Sharpay does, too. Maybe that's why she's so angry all the time.

"Intense is definitely the word I'd use," Gabriella sighs, looking down at her hands and fiddling with them. "She's the opposite with me, though. She doesn't like me, she _hates_ me."

Troy frowns in response and he opens his mouth to reply, but Gabriella smiles and shakes her head. "Yeah, I know it's because she feels threatened by me."

Then, she sighs again and refocuses her gaze on the view. "I kind of wish we could be friends, though. I know it sounds silly, but I feel like there's more to her than meets the eye."

There's a silence for a moment, before Troy softly tells her, "I don't think it's silly. I think it's kind of amazing."

As Gabriella's gaze snaps back to Troy, she drowns a little in the warm blue of his eyes.

"Sharpay can be ruthless when someone is in her way, and she's probably been awful to you, yet you still want to give her a chance," he explains, smiling. "That just shows how kind a person you are."

Gabriella feels her cheeks heat up as they stare at each other, before ducking her head. "Thanks. I don't think she sees it that way, though. I tried to make peace with her and she only got worse."

"Well, that's her loss if she doesn't want to get to know someone as amazing as you," Troy says firmly, and Gabriella giggles nervously and tucks a hair behind her ear as her cheeks heat up even more.

She stays quiet for a moment, before mumbling, "I think it's also that I want people to like me and I can't stand that she refuses to give me a chance."

Troy chuckles. "And the only way to get her to like you is for you to make a compromise and let her walk all over you."

Gabriella's head snaps up. "Yes! Exactly!"

Troy sighs as he runs a hand through his hair, before refocusing his gaze on the view. "I know the feeling exactly. I know I said that I wanted to be more than the basketball guy, but I think I also let them think of me like that because I'm afraid they won't like me otherwise."

He lets out a short laugh as he shakes her head, before shooting her a smile. "You're not like that. You could have just let them push you into the box of freaky math girl to please them, but you didn't. You showed them your true self, no matter what others think of it."

Gabriella blinks a couple of times, before mumbling, "Well..."

"You've come so far, Gabriella," Troy says, suddenly sounding desperate. "Don't give up on yourself now. I know it sounds hypocrite coming from me, but not everyone is going to like you. And if they don't appreciate you for how amazing and brave you are, then they're not worth it."

His eyes are boring into hers and she can sense his underlying meaning, and the flame inside her flickers.

 _Don't give up for me_ , is what he's saying.

"I won't give up," she assures him. "I'm just... a little sad, because Sharpay and I really could have been great friends."

Troy smiles as he softly lays a hand on her shoulder and squeezes comfortingly. "Maybe she'll come to her senses one day… Wait, who am I kidding? This is Sharpay Evans."

Gabriella bursts into giggles as she nods, before turning serious again and smiling at him gratefully.

"Thanks for listening," she says earnestly, hoping that he knows she truly appreciates him as much as he seems to appreciate her.

"Thanks for being here," he murmurs in response, and Gabriella's smile only grows.

Sharpay is still at the back of her mind, but she finally feels at ease.

She may never get the chance to explore a friendship with Sharpay, but at least there's someone out there who understands her.

At least there's someone like Troy.

* * *

Sharpay is baffled by Gabriella Montez. Utterly, completely baffled.

Every time she thinks that this girl cannot get any worse, she gets worse. How dare she want to bury the hatchet, act like nothing ever happened, as if she hasn't ruined Sharpay's life?

No. If she's tired of Sharpay's antics, then good. That's the entire point of Sharpay's cruelty – to get a reaction out of her, something, anything.

Yet something nags at Sharpay. Something about the way Gabriella looked at her, a slight hopeful twinkle in her eye, makes her reconsider everything.

She's not interested in Gabriella psycho-analyzing her – _how dare she imply that Sharpay is emotionally closed off?!_ – or being buddies with her, but that twinkle in her eyes has her intrigued instead of angry for some inexplicable reason.

If she were a less rational person, she'd even say she wants to see more of it and that's a thought she can't quite handle.

She doesn't want to yearn for anything more when it comes to Gabriella Montez.

Yet she realizes that this is the first time that those haunting eyes haven't completely infuriated her. Gabriella's words have been possibly the most infuriating thing she's done so far, but those eyes... the intrigue is masking the anger, and as begrudging as Sharpay is to admit this, it's a welcome change.

And that makes it infuriating again. There's no way not to be enraged by the girl.

She needs to clear her mind. And there's no better way to do that than to have some rehearsal time for herself when there's no group rehearsal today.

However, when she enters the auditorium, the source of all her anger and all her worries is in the room.

Her first instinct is to snap and shout and storm off, but that twinkle keeps haunting her and Sharpay decides that it's best to lay her worries to rest once and for all by doing something out of the ordinary, to perform a little experiment.

So, she doesn't yell, instead holding her head high as she walks up to the stage, feeling Gabriella's wide eyes follow her every move.

"I'm sorry, I can leave if you want," Gabriella says as Sharpay climbs up on stage, but Sharpay just shakes her head.

"No, it's fine, go ahead."

Gabriella quirks an eyebrow suspiciously, before turning back to the script she's holding, biting her lip as she studies it thoughtfully before shaking her head.

"Actually, why don't we just practice together? Since we're both here now?" she asks, and Sharpay purses her lips in annoyance.

She's trying hard. So hard. But this girl really continues to get on her last nerve by being so persistent despite Sharpay's obvious disdain.

However, Sharpay's experiment is to see what would happen if they were civil to each other just once. Sharpay is nothing if not determined to see her plans through, so despite grimacing, she shrugs in what she hopes in a casual fashion. "Sure."

Gabriella's eyes light up in that way that unnerves and haunts Sharpay and Sharpay reminds herself to keep breathing evenly as a smile blossoms on the brunette's face.

What a stupidly pretty smile. Sharpay wishes that she could make it vanish from her face and that she could forget about its existence.

It makes her feel an urge either to fall back into her cruel behaviour or to run away, and neither are an option, so she decides to do the one thing that she can do to get out of this suffocating situation, staring into Gabriella's eyes and feeling a little overwhelmed by her smile.

"Actually, I have a better idea," she chokes out, watching with slight relief as Gabriella's face falls. "You said you wanted to learn from me, right? There's no better way to learn than to watch. I was going to practice my solo anyway, so maybe you could just watch me."

Gabriella's eyes narrow thoughtfully, before that irritating smile returns, as does that hopeful spark that is the bane of Sharpay's existence. "Are you saying you'll help me?"

Sharpay rolls her eyes. "No, I needed to practice the song. That's the only reason why I'm doing this. Because it benefits _me_."

Gabriella's grin reduces a little in size, but it doesn't completely disappear. "Alright."

She nods and lets out a tinkling laugh as Sharpay rudely motions for her to take a seat, walking off to the side of the stage and grabbing a chair that's sitting there, perching curiously as she waits for Sharpay to start.

Sharpay thanks whatever deity may be out there for the fact that Gabriella is not directly in her line of sight. At least she doesn't have to worry about her presence being too annoying or distracting.

However, she can't deny that Gabriella's eyes on her and her general presence have an effect on her as she sings the song about fairytales and wishes upon stars, but it's not a negative one.

It makes her want to work a little harder, to prove herself a little harder, and it makes for her best performance of the song yet.

Gabriella seems to be rightfully impressed as well, clapping loudly when Sharpay finishes the song.

"Beautiful!" she exclaims, and Sharpay can't help but smirk a little proudly as she turns to Gabriella, who has that irritating spark in her eyes again.

Putting a hand on her hip, Sharpay says, "Your turn."

Gabriella bites her lip, before nodding and grabbing her script again. However, then her eyes widen. "What time is it?"

Sharpay quirks an eyebrow, but before she can answer, Gabriella is already checking her own watch. "Oh no. I was supposed to meet Taylor ten minutes ago. She's going to kill me."

Sharpay just watches as she hurries to stuff her script in her bag, and all but hurries out of the auditorium, much like that day in the bathroom.

However, this time, she stops in her tracks and turns around, staring at Sharpay for a moment, appearing as if she wants to tell her something, but doesn't know how to put it into words.

Gabriella's eyes are sparkling more than ever and Sharpay suddenly feels nervous as she stares back, feeling a little lost in the darkness of Gabriella's wide orbs.

Suddenly, one word comes to mind. One that was spoken with regard to them not too long ago, one that infuriated her to no end.

Chemistry.

Her breath hitching, Sharpay averts her gaze and grimaces as she turns away from Gabriella and tries to come to terms with what the hell just happened and why her heart is beating so fast.

"Thanks," she hears Gabriella mumble almost inaudibly, and then there's footsteps until Gabriella has disappeared.

Exhaling deeply, Sharpay puts a hand over her heart, feeling more irritated and confused than ever.

Well, that's the end of being civil to Gabriella.

* * *

 **A/N: Man, I feel like I'm being very bad at showing vs. telling with the chemistry thing, lmao. I hope you enjoyed anyway, though. Also, I am quite obviously improvising with the actual script of the Twinkle Towne, because it is still a complete mystery to me to this very day what that damn musical was about. Please leave reviews, they make me very happy!**


	6. Chapter 6

Gabriella can't quite understand Sharpay.

One moment, she's hurling a stream of insults her way, and the next, she's actually being civil to her and letting her watch as she rehearses. And then, she's screaming murder, because the scene she's rehearsing isn't working for some reason.

Gabriella frowns as Ms. Darbus sighs heavily, rubbing her temple, before waving around dramatically. "Let's just take five."

Gabriella watches suspiciously as Sharpay marches straight over to Kelsi, who is on the other side of the stage, and she feels her body tense, ready to fight Sharpay and protect Kelsi if there is a need to.

It's a shame, really, that she and Sharpay are to be bound on opposite ends of arguments, because their impromptu one-on-one rehearsal was kind of nice. It was refreshing to be in a room with Sharpay and actually feel a little at ease. _A little_ being keyword, as she is well aware that the other shoe could have dropped at any time. It didn't in the end, but it was a realistic possibility.

It makes her feel a little suspicious, though, as to why Sharpay was suddenly being civil towards her, even if it was quite obviously reluctantly. If Gabriella knows anything about this girl, it's that she's always cunning, and she is always ready to strike.

So, why did she not try to intimidate her like last time? And why did they share that moment before Gabriella rushed out, their gazes locked as there flickered something like yearning in Sharpay's hazelnut eyes?

Maybe Gabriella is right about Sharpay. Maybe she yearns to break free, just like Gabriella and Troy do, and maybe she's just trying to suppress her feelings.

One thing is certain to Gabriella, though, after watching Sharpay rehearse – she is now sure than ever that she could benefit a lot from being on Sharpay's good side. Which makes it a shame that Sharpay is glaring and hissing something, as Kelsi cowers under her gaze and Gabriella probably should step in.

However, before she can do that, she's snapped out of her thoughts by a male voice.

"Hi."

Gabriella's eyebrows furrow as she turns to her left and sees a smiling Ryan Evans at her side.

She hasn't actually spoken to Ryan at all since the auditions, since every time she's seen him, he's been following Sharpay around loyally. However, he still strikes her as someone nice, so she's not all too suspicious that he's approaching her.

However, there's still a little voice in the back of her mind saying that Sharpay is up to something.

She suppresses that voice, though, and returns Ryan's smile. "Hey, Ryan."

Ryan fiddles with his hands nervously for a second, before saying, "Hey, we haven't really had a chance to get to know each other, but I just wanted to let you know that I'm really happy you're here."

Gabriella quirks an eyebrow. "You are? You don't hate me like your sister does?"

Ryan sighs as both of them turn back to Sharpay and Kelsi, who are still talking.

"No, I'm not as ruthlessly ambitious as she is," he admits, before pausing. "Although I _am_ ambitious, too."

Gabriella laughs and nods. "Good to know."

Silence befalls them for a moment, before Ryan says, "Actually, I also wanted to apologize for Sharpay. I'm used to her antics, so I can handle them, but I'm sure they must be a little daunting for you."

Daunting is certainly one way to put it. She's been able to handle Sharpay's insult just fine by just remembering that Sharpay is just as insecure as she is, but she can't deny that Sharpay's behaviour has bothered and exhausted her.

She's not sure she should tell that to Sharpay's twin brother, though, so she just shrugs and says, "It's fine."

Ryan laughs and shakes his head. "You don't have to lie. Don't worry, I'm not going to turn around and tell her that you hate her or anything. Besides, I think she already knows that."

Gabriella frowns. "Well, I don't hate her, though. I'm just sad, because I think we could be great friends if she just gave me a chance."

Ryan raises his eyebrows. "I don't think I've ever met anyone who wanted to be her friend after being yelled at by her. Except me, of course, but she's my sister. She could try to murder me and I'd still love her."

With a laugh, Gabriella shrugs. "I don't know, I just… have a feeling."

Then, she turns to Ryan. "Is there any reason why she…"

"Has a terrible temper? Acts so entitled?" Ryan supplies as Gabriella trails off, shrugging as she nods curiously. "I think it's probably because of our parents. They've always given us everything we've ever wanted and they've never told us no. Sharpay's not used to not getting her way."

Gabriella quirks an eyebrow. "And you are?"

Ryan narrows his eyes for a fraction of a second, seeming as if he's contemplating something, before shaking his head.

"I actually think you might be really good for her," he continues, ignoring Gabriella's question. "If not just to teach her that not everything will always work out in her favour."

Gabriella purses her lips. She's not sure that's a lesson Sharpay wants to learn, though. Maybe that's why she's so averse to being friends, because Gabriella teaches her a lesson that she doesn't want to learn.

"She could me teach me a lot, too, about confidence and about being on stage," Gabriella admits as she sees flashes of Sharpay's rehearsal the other day before her. She was so confident, so at ease. Gabriella wishes she could be so comfortable in the spotlight.

"Well, I'm sure it takes some confidence to stand up to her," Ryan says encouragingly, before grimacing as Sharpay suddenly looks up from Kelsi and sees Ryan and Gabriella watching her.

Her eyes immediately narrow in a suspicious glare and she starts walking towards them.

Ryan shoots Gabriella an awkward smile. "Well, I guess that's my cue."

Gabriella giggles. "Well, it was nice to talk you while it lasted."

Ryan laughs as he nods. "Likewise. And seriously, thanks for standing up to her. She might not see it that way, but it's really good for her."

"Not for me, though," Gabriella retorts and Ryan's smile turns sympathetic.

"Sorry again," he says, before quickly stepping forward as Sharpay approaches their general vicinity.

"What's going on here?" Sharpay asks, and Ryan just smiles innocently.

"Nothing, I just needed to talk to Gabriella about a scene," he says, and Sharpay scowls suspiciously.

However, before she can say anything, Ms. Darbus's booming voice blasts through the auditorium again, asking everyone to start up rehearsals again.

Sharpay just sighs and pulls Ryan with her. However, Ryan turns around and smiles at Gabriella one more time, which she returns.

She may not understand Sharpay, but it does make her feel good that someone who does understand Sharpay is encouraging her, and implying that he, too, sees that she and Sharpay could help each other.

Sharpay may not see it, but in the most messed up of ways, they really would be good for each other.

In the most messed up of ways, they really are a match.

* * *

It feels like déjà vu when Gabriella walks into the bathroom the next morning to find Sharpay there, fluffing her hair as she blows a kiss at the mirror.

Not wanting to cause a scene again, Gabriella quickly moves towards the stalls, but as she glances in the mirror, she meets Sharpay's gaze, and Sharpay raises her eyebrows when Gabriella's eyes widen.

"I hope you're not here to practice again, Gabriella. I told you that the acoustics are different than in the auditorium," Sharpay says, and Gabriella closes her eyes briefly as she lets go of the door she's holding.

Shaking her head, she says, "No. I just needed to pee."

Sharpay smiles sweetly. "Great. Glad I won't have to hear you wail while I fix my make-up."

Her gaze moves back to her own reflection for a second, before meeting Gabriella's again, a glint of a taunting present in her eyes, and it's the second she sees that glint, that Gabriella finally snaps. The build-up has been too long, too intense, too frustrating.

"What is your deal?!"

It's out before Gabriella can think twice, and it sounds much more exasperated than she intends it to be. As Sharpay's eyes widen in a mixture of shock and curiosity, Gabriella sighs and averts her gaze, feeling her cheeks heat up.

Sharpay quickly regains her composure, though. Turning around with a scathing scowl, she hisses, "I could ask you the same thing, Ms. _I'm-going-to-audition-last-minute-and-mess-up-the-entire-musical_."

Gabriella throws up her hands in despair. "Do you want me to apologize for responding to Ms. Darbus's call for auditions?"

"No, I want you to apologize for ruining my life," Sharpay snaps, watching as Gabriella's face morphs into a scowl that could rival her own.

"For the last time, I didn't sign up with an intention to step on your toes. I'm sorry it happened on an impulse decision, but I'm not sorry for doing something I enjoy," Gabriella says, taking a step forward in Sharpay's direction.

Narrowing her eyes on the blonde, Gabriella continues, "I really don't get you. One minute, you're actually being civil to me, and the next, you're yelling at me more than ever."

Sharpay takes a step forward, too, as she scoffs. "Well, I do get you. You act like you're so sincere and innocent, pretending to want to be my friend, but I think you hate me just as much as I hate you."

"I don't hate you!" Gabriella exclaims desperately. "And if I did, it would only be because you are rude to me at every turn."

Suddenly, Sharpay's eyes light up and her scowl morphs into a satisfied smirk that makes a thrill go down Gabriella's spine as she suddenly notices she's breathing heavily.

All this time, Sharpay has wanted a reaction out of her, to gain the upper hand, and Gabriella has never given in. But now, her frustration have reached a boiling point. Now, she's angry and desperate and vulnerable to an attack.

Suddenly, she's aware of her surroundings. She's in a public space, where anyone could hear, so close to Sharpay that she could practically feel Sharpay's frustratingly calm breath on her face, and she's losing her cool.

This is not her. Gabriella is a lot of things – frustrated, scared, overwhelmed –, but she's not angry. She's not Sharpay.

So, she just takes a deep breath in an effort to regain her composure and control, before shaking her head and sending Sharpay an exhausted and sad smile as she takes a step back, Sharpay blinking with slight panic as she also seems to realize their proximity.

"Look, I know you won't ever agree with me, but I truly believe we are more alike than we think," Gabriella says, her voice a lot calmer and more quiet. "You may be better at hiding it, but I think you're just as scared and insecure as I am. And for some reason, I hoped that we could help each other, but I guess I'm wrong."

Sharpay's face displays incredulity, before flashing into panic and then into anger as she listens to Gabriella. Scowling, she folds her arms over her chest.

"I'm not scared and insecure," she states firmly, but Gabriella can sense the hint of panic in her voice as she tries to appear calm and firm. Furthermore, there's a hint of vulnerability present in Sharpay's eyes that Gabriella has never seen before, which tells Gabriella that she may not be so wrong after all.

However, she finds that she doesn't want to be right about this anymore. There's a limit to this game of push and pull that they've been playing ever since they met, and Gabriella thinks she's reached the end.

So, as Sharpay raises an eyebrow challengingly, obviously expecting more fight, Gabriella merely shrugs and throws her hands up in defeat. "You keep telling yourself that."

Then, she turns around and walks out of the bathroom. And she doesn't turn to look back.

This was her last effort, Gabriella decides. She knows her hunch about them being not so different is right, but she's done convincing Sharpay that they should try to get along.

She's done trying to become friends.

* * *

Sharpay is not scared and insecure.

How dare Gabriella insinuate that? How dare she insinuate that Sharpay is just putting on a façade, that she's not as confident as she seems?

Sharpay couldn't be more confident if she tried. Some might even say she's so confident that she's arrogant or conceited. And they would be right.

Furthermore, how could _Gabriella_ possibly be scared and insecure? She's certainly nervous and overwhelmed by all that the musical entails, but she's definitely not insecure.

Insecure people don't go on stage and perform as dozens of other people watch. They don't speak up and disagree with Sharpay in the middle of rehearsal. They don't fight people with more power than them.

Yet Gabriella has done all of those things. Which leads Sharpay to believe that the theory she's developed since their private rehearsal in the auditorium is right – she and Gabriella are meant to stay far away from each other, and they hate each other equally.

Which is _a lot_.

This is why Sharpay should be rejoicing when Gabriella finally stumbles during rehearsals.

It happens when Sharpay least expects it as well. Gabriella is meant to sing the solo that has been written for her – _of course_ Kelsi tried to give Gabriella more to do –, which should be nothing out of the ordinary. Sharpay has seen her sing during the auditions, she's heard her rehearse in the bathroom of all places, so what happens next is a complete surprise and leaves Sharpay utterly befuddled.

Because as everyone waits expectantly for Gabriella to sing her song, she suddenly freezes.

Sharpay quirks an eyebrow curiously as she watches Gabriella's eyes nervously flick around and her mouth open, only for a chortling sound to come out instead of the required melody.

It almost seems… as if she has stage fright.

For a split second, this brand new knowledge fills Sharpay with utter joy. Finally, she has found a weakness of Gabriella's that makes her incompatible with the stage. Finally, Sharpay can take her down.

However, all her glee dissipates when Gabriella's gaze meets hers and Sharpay suddenly feels a tremor run down her spine.

Gabriella looks so small. She looks so scared and insecure.

And then, she realizes with poignant clarity and a bitter reluctance, that Gabriella has been right all along.

Because she recognizes that fear and insecurity. She would never show it in such an obvious sense, but it's there, hidden away in the darkest depths of her soul.

It's a fear of not being good enough. And the knowledge that Gabriella harbours that same fear kind of annoys Sharpay.

All of Sharpay's hatred towards Gabriella has been because Gabriella is good. It's because, deep down, she respects Gabriella, sees her as an equal – or at least, a person who has the potential to become an equal.

She may hate Gabriella for constantly being in her way, but in a strange way, she realizes she actually can't imagine her life anymore with the constant challenge that Gabriella brings, even after only knowing her for such a short period of time, and while that realization should scare her to death, it doesn't.

In a strange way, the challenge of Gabriella has become intoxicating rather than infuriating, and Sharpay thinks she might secretly _like_ that.

So, when Gabriella gasps and runs off stage, Sharpay's first instinct isn't to breathe a sigh of relief, but it's to go after her.

Sharpay may hate Gabriella, but she loves the challenge, and for some reason unbeknownst to her, she doesn't want to lose that.

At least, that's what she tells herself.

As she sees Kelsi move to stand up, she quickly gets up herself and shakes her head. "I'll go."

She feels Ryan's hand grab hers tightly. "Shar…"

"Don't worry, Ry," she says, rather calmly, as she turns to look at him and she can see he doesn't believe her, but she runs off anyway, moving in the direction where Gabriella has gone.

She finds Gabriella just outside the auditorium, sitting against the wall and heaving as she has her head buried in her hands.

As she hears Sharpay's heels click against the floor, she looks up, with teary eyes, and her face falls even more as she realizes who has come after her.

However, before she can say anything, Sharpay asks her, blithely, "What the hell just happened in there?"

Gabriella averts her gaze and shrugs as she stares ahead. "I got scared and I freaked out. I'm sure you're really happy right now."

Sharpay rolls her eyes as she crosses her arms over her chest. "No, I'm just confused."

As Gabriella looks back up, surprised, Sharpay continues, "I've seen you perform before. I mean, yeah, you were nervous, but you've never seemed scared. Why were you scared now?"

Gabriella shrugs. "I don't know. I think it only happens when I can actually see people looking at me."

"You saw people look at you at the auditions," Sharpay retorts, and Gabriella's eyebrows furrow thoughtfully as she stares ahead, as if contemplating something, before she shakes her head.

"Why did you come after me?" she asks curiously, and Sharpay sighs as she purses her lips and averts her gaze.

She really didn't think this through. She can't just tell Gabriella that she was worried or that she doesn't hate her as much as she previously thought.

"I told you, I was confused," she says instead. "I thought you were just speaking bull when you said you were scared and insecure. You've always seemed very… confident of your opinions and your stand against me, so I was surprised to see you so scared."

Gabriella narrows her eyes at her and Sharpay can see the apprehension in those dark depths. Rightfully so, she thinks, as she has never given Gabriella any indication that she has any feelings towards her that aren't overtly negative.

Then, she laughs. "I'm always scared, Sharpay. This is all new to me. I'm terrified I'm going to screw it up."

And partially, it's due to Sharpay. If this had been thirty minutes ago, she would be delighted to know that she has instilled this fear in Gabriella. Now, however, she feels strangely guilty about it.

Sitting down next to her, but leaving more than enough space between them, Sharpay says, "I don't think you're going to screw this up."

Gabriella quirks an eyebrow. "You've been telling me I'm screwing up since day one."

"You do realize that I hate you because you're _not_ screwing up, right?" Sharpay asks, and Gabriella can't help but smile at that.

"Are you saying I'm good?"

Sharpay bites her lip and sends her a glare, although playful rather than venomous, before saying, "I'm saying that you challenge me."

A short silence befalls them, Gabriella keeping her eyes trained as Sharpay averts her gaze, both knowing that there's more to be said.

With a deep sigh, Sharpay admits, "I hate you because I respect you."

After a pause, she turns back to Gabriella and reluctantly adds, "I'm not the only person who's good anymore and I will murder your entire family if you ever tell anyone I said this, but it scares me."

Gabriella blinks, before biting her lip. "So, we scare each other."

There's a hint of sorrow in her voice, and Sharpay feels it, too, as she nods. "I guess so."

Then, she narrows her eyes, before standing up. "You know what? We could use this to our advantage."

As Gabriella raises her eyebrows, Sharpay explains, "I don't know about you, Gabriella, but my desire to prove you that I'm good fuels me. The next time you get stage fright, just think about me, and how you're going to prove me wrong."

Suspiciously, Gabriella asks, "And what is in it for you? Don't you benefit from me screwing up?"

"As I said, you challenge me. The better you get, the more I want to improve my own performance, so we both get better. You become better than average and I become outstanding."

Somewhere in the back of Sharpay's mind, alarm bells are going off as she speaks. Why is she extending an olive branch to Gabriella? Why is she helping her? Why is she admitting her weaknesses?

She should keep Gabriella far away, like she originally intended, not get closer to her. Yet, there's something inside her, a curious thrill of excitement that she cannot ignore, so she decides to push her thoughts away as she anxiously waits for Gabriella to respond.

After a moment of contemplation, Gabriella giggles, squeakily but sweetly, before biting her lip. "Does this mean a truce?"

Sharpay purses her lips, feeling slightly uncomfortable at how happy and hopeful Gabriella sounds and how that doesn't infuriate her. "I guess it does. We're both tired of fighting anyway. Besides, frown lines are bad for you."

Gabriella bursts into a brilliant grin, and a part of Sharpay launches into her usual reaction of frustration, but she pushes it away as she holds out a hand for Gabriella to shake.

Gabriella stares at it for a second, before looking back up at Sharpay. "So, are you going to stop insulting me?"

"I won't make promises about the occasional blunt remark, but yeah, sure, no more insults with ill intentions. As long as you don't constantly shoot down my ideas."

"It happened once!" Gabriella exclaims exasperatedly, but the smile is still present on her face. "But yeah, sure."

And then Gabriella's soft hand lands in Sharpay's and they shake firmly, Gabriella grinning goofily and Sharpay smirking in amusement.

"Great," Sharpay says as she drops Gabriella's hand. "Now come on, let's get back before Ms. Darbus thinks we've murdered each other."

Gabriella giggles again and nods as she stands up and follows Sharpay into the auditorium.

Sharpay takes her seat again and smirks as Gabriella's eyes lock on hers, a determined look in her eyes as she starts singing.

As she feels Ryan's suspicious eyes on her, Sharpay just shrugs and smiles while she tries not to overthink what she just did.

Even though it's mutually beneficial, she knows that maintaining this truce is going to be difficult. Perhaps it's going to be an even bigger challenge than fighting with Gabriella.

But she's not one to back down. And deep down, she's strangely excited about this new development in their relationship.

Because that's what Gabriella Montez does. She infuriates, but she excites as well.

And Sharpay is ready to take this new challenge on.

* * *

 **A/N: What I wanted to do here is try to focus more on the fact that Gabriella and Sharpay really do challenge each other, and that they're more alike than they think, and try to put that in a positive light. I hope the characterization makes sense! As always, I love you if you leave reviews!**


	7. Chapter 7

Things are starting to look up.

Gabriella had never thought she'd reach a truce with Sharpay, not after their fight in the bathroom, but when she walks into school the morning after she got stage fright during rehearsal, the first thing she's greeted with is a courteous nod from Sharpay.

They're not friends, not by any means, but their truce is a start.

Furthermore, she's grateful to have someone to look out for when she has stage fright, as strange as it is that this person is Sharpay. The truth is that Gabriella needs that. She needs someone to challenge her, to give her the courage to sing and stand up on stage. As much as she's learning about being on stage, her stage fright isn't just solved in the blink of an eye.

So far, Troy has been the one to encourage her, to give her faith when she needed it most, both at the New Year's Eve party and at the auditions. However, Troy is not always going to be present, especially as he was too afraid to audition himself. So yesterday, when she choked, it seemed like she was alone.

She couldn't be more wrong.

The thing is, though, that Sharpay encourages her in an entirely different way than Troy does. While Troy's presence is comforting, Sharpay's is daring.

As Sharpay put it herself, they challenge each other to outdo one another. In the strangest of ways, their rivalry is helping both of them.

And now they've both realized that, it's not a rivalry anymore. At least, not in an actually hostile sense.

Now, it's more like they're frenemies. And after all of their fights, Gabriella thinks that's the way it should be.

Not friends, not enemies. Just something else.

Gabriella arrives at her locker with a spring in her step, waving as she sees Taylor standing by it, and grinning as she removes the lock.

"You're in a good mood," Taylor comments, smiling and sounding a little amused and Gabriella just giggles.

"Yeah, I just feel good today."

"Well, I'm glad," Taylor says earnestly, before the grin falls off her face and she curses. "Oh, shit, Gabriella, Sharpay is coming this way."

Gabriella turns around to watch Sharpay approach with menacing strides. However, Gabriella can see that there's no anger in her eyes, so she just watches curiously as Sharpay stops right in front of her and musters a slightly forced smile.

"You're gonna sit with us at lunch today," she says, before rolling her eyes as both Gabriella and Taylor raise their eyebrows. "I mean, do you want to sit with us at lunch today? Ryan, Kelsi and I were planning to go over a few scenes and I figured you'd want to join, too, since you play the biggest supporting character."

Gabriella narrows her eyes, before smiling. "You want to have lunch together?"

Sharpay rolls her eyes again. "Ryan and Kelsi are there too, and they both actually like you for some reason. And again, I'm only inviting you, because you play an important role in the musical."

Tapping her foot impatiently on the floor, she adds, "So, what's it gonna be?"

Gabriella bites her lip, sneaking a glance at a horrified Taylor, before nodding and offering Sharpay a small smile. "Why not?"

Sharpay smiles and stands up a little straighter. "Great! Well, I guess I'll be on my way then. Toodles!"

Gabriella giggles at Sharpay's little wave, returning it and watching as Sharpay struts off.

"What was that?!"

Gabriella sighs as she turns back to Taylor, shrugging. "We called a truce."

Taylor quirks an eyebrow. "So, you and Sharpay are friends now?"

"Definitely not," Gabriella laughs. "But we respect each other."

Taylor snorts. "Sharpay Evans, respecting others? She's playing you, Gabriella."

Gabriella frowns as she closes her locker. "I mean, yeah, I don't entirely trust her, but she told me she respects me and she seemed genuine enough."

As uncertain as she still is about her future with Sharpay, she does know Sharpay well enough by now to know when she's trying to manipulate her. The way she behaved yesterday, however, was different, more genuine, in a way that Gabriella hasn't seen yet.

She doesn't trust Sharpay's general motives, but she does trust that Sharpay was being honest when she wanted a truce.

Taylor doesn't seem to agree, though, for she scoffs. "Sharpay doesn't respect anyone but herself."

"I know her. She was speaking the truth, I could tell," Gabriella counters, a little defensively, and in the back of her mind, she wonders why she's suddenly so defensive of the person who tried to make her life a living hell just yesterday.

"You've only known her a couple of weeks," Taylor counters, smiling sympathetically as Gabriella's face falls further – it's true, after all.

"Look, if you believe she really wants a truce, then who am I to say she doesn't? Just don't let down your guard, okay? Nothing is that simple with her."

Gabriella sighs, before nodding, suddenly not feeling so happy anymore as she is overcome with worries.

She has already entertained the thought, of course, but what if Taylor is right and Sharpay really is only calling this truce to perform a sneak attack and get her down when she least expects it? What if it's all just a ploy? Sharpay is a great actress after all.

And why does the possibility of this being a ruse break her heart? Why does she still want to genuinely get along with Sharpay, after the cruel way she treated her? Why does she want to stay close to her, spend time with her?

It makes no sense.

Then again, nothing that has happened since she has arrived at East High has made sense.

She just hopes that Taylor isn't right and that this will work out.

She hopes that this truce will last.

* * *

Sharpay is sure she's made a big mistake by asking Gabriella to join her, Ryan and Kelsi for lunch.

Not only is the incident from the day of the cast list still fresh on her mind, but spending time together outside of musical rehearsals and the occasional unfortunate meeting in the bathroom means they're getting friendly and a little bit too close.

So, to see Gabriella sitting at her lunch table, with a big smile as she converses with Ryan, Sharpay feels uncomfortable.

Gabriella seems so at ease. She seems to fit right in, in their little group, and it makes Sharpay feel threatened again. She still doesn't like change, and she doesn't like letting new people into her life, especially people like Gabriella.

However, she tries to keep in her fury and fear, just picking at her food quietly as she watches Gabriella's arms flutter around as she talks, before she throws her head back in laughter.

"Are you okay, sis?" Ryan's voice snaps her out of her daze and Sharpay blinks as she realizes she's just been staring at Gabriella for a few minutes.

She nods, forcing a smile onto her face. "Yeah, sorry, I zoned out for a minute."

Then, she sits up a little straighter. "So, shall we rehearse?"

Ryan nods slowly, before all four of them dive towards their bags to retrieve their scripts. "So, what scenes did you want to practice?"

Sharpay bites her lip as her gaze flickers to Gabriella, who is still smiling sweetly and a little excitedly.

She needs to distract herself from Gabriella's presence.

"Maybe the scene where Arnold and Minnie try to escape from the dungeon?" she suggests.

The other three all hum in agreement, as they flip through their scripts to find the scene in question, and Sharpay breathes out a sigh as she hopes her mind will be taken off Gabriella now.

Of course, it isn't. All through the read-through, as much as she tries to focus on her script and on Ryan, Sharpay can feel those chocolate eyes drill through her head, and when every time her gaze flickers to Gabriella and their eyes meet, she smiles a little wider.

"That was great! I don't think this scene needs any extra practice!" Gabriella exclaims as the twins finish the scene.

"Yeah, it's a good scene, Kelsi," Sharpay admits reluctantly, not looking up from her script as she starts to flip through it to find another scene to rehearse.

Anything to keep herself distracted and to keep herself from getting chummy with Gabriella.

"So, do you have these lunch rehearsals often?"

Of course, Gabriella does want to become chummy.

Sharpay shrugs. "Well, yeah, extra rehearsals are really useful if you want to be successful."

"Usually, we do them after school, though, but Sharpay is a little busy these days, because she has to improve her math grade," Ryan pipes up, before cowering as Sharpay sends him a poisonous look.

"Ryan!"

Sharpay is not someone who particularly cares about academics, but it is embarrassing that Gabriella now knows that she's failing math.

Gabriella, with her newspaper articles about winning academic awards, will probably judge her. She'll probably think Sharpay's an idiot, and that she is superior.

At least, that's what Sharpay would think if the roles were reversed.

However, Gabriella is quite obviously not Sharpay, for she springs up immediately, her face lighting up. "I could help and tutor you if you want to."

Sharpay furrows her eyebrows suspiciously. "Why would you want to do that?"

Gabriella shrugs. "You're helping me with the musical. I would like to return the favour."

Sharpay scoffs. "I don't think giving you snide remarks to rile you up counts as helping."

Gabriella smiles at that and rolls her eyes playfully. "Fair point. But honestly, I just want to help."

"Thanks, but I can do it by myself," Sharpay responds curtly, before biting her lip as Gabriella's face falls.

The thing is, she actually does need the help, but she's too proud to admit it, and she doesn't like the idea of being dependent on Gabriella or spending more time with her than is necessary.

However, as she sneaks a glance at Ryan, who is giving her a disapproving look, she realizes that it would be foolish to turn this offer down.

So, she rolls her eyes as she begrudgingly says, "Fine. You can help me if you want to."

"I'm doing this for you, not for me," Gabriella reminds her, a smile blossoming on her face. "When do we start?"

Sharpay purses her lips. "Do you have time this afternoon?"

Maybe it's best if they get all this tutoring out of the way as soon as possible.

Gabriella grins excitedly as she nods vigorously in agreement and Sharpay returns it with her own forced smile.

"Fabulous!" Sharpay exclaims with faux-excitement, before turning back to her script. "So, how about we practice Arnold and Minnie's first meeting?"

And with that, the subject is changed and the topic of the tutoring never approached again during lunch.

However, Sharpay's heart still beats a little faster at the idea and panic overcomes her. But as she glances at a smiling Gabriella, she realizes there's no way back now.

Gabriella is getting more and more entangled in her life and she can't stop it.

She can't stop Gabriella from coming too close.

* * *

Sharpay Evans is in Gabriella's bedroom.

In a strange turn of events, she has offered Sharpay to tutor her in math and Sharpay actually accepted.

Gabriella was happy about that initially, thrilled even, because it only confirmed to her that Sharpay is just as serious about their truce as she is, but now, to see Sharpay sitting on her bed, inspecting every inch of her room, she feels slightly uncomfortable.

She suddenly feels like she needs everything to go perfectly this afternoon, so she can impress Sharpay, so Sharpay will want to come over more often.

She's still confused as to why she wants to spend so much time with the drama queen.

"Would you like some tea?" Gabriella offers, fiddling with her hands as Sharpay's gaze snaps to hers. "I could also make coffee for you if you want and we have soda and orange juice. I also think my mom has made brownies and otherwise, I'm sure we have cookies somewhere."

"Just water, please. No food, thanks," Sharpay responds curtly, before quirking an eyebrow. "Why are you so nervous? Have you never had fr– classmates over before?"

Gabriella smiles a little as she hears Sharpay's slip of tongue, but decides to let it slide, shrugging in response to her question. "I've moved every semester for the past five years, so I've never really had the chance to bond with anyone before."

"I wouldn't call this bonding," Sharpay reminds her, before smirking. "So, I'm guessing you'll leave again in a couple of months?"

Sharpay's voice is teasing, so Gabriella just rolls her eyes playfully as she says, "Sorry, no such luck. My mom promised I'm not moving again until graduation."

"Bless mom's heart," Sharpay remarks sarcastically, making Gabriella laugh, before she moves off of the bed.

"Well, make yourself comfortable, I'll be back in a moment."

When she returns with a cup of tea and a glass of water a few minutes later, she's shocked to find Sharpay rummaging through her closet, half of the contents lying on the floor.

"What are you doing?!"

Sharpay turns around, hand on her hip as she motions around with her hand. "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm going through your closet. Your style is quite terrible, Gabriella."

She picks up a pair of green corduroy pants, making gagging noises as Gabriella sets down the drinks and frowns as she approaches and rips the pants from Sharpay's hands.

"What's wrong with these?" she asks and Sharpay merely shakes her head pitifully.

"Oh, honey, they're atrocious."

Turning back to the closet, she taps her chin. "You need a new wardrobe, stat."

"And you're gonna help me with that?" Gabriella asks, raising an eyebrow as she suddenly feels suspicious.

Sharpay was reluctant to agree to being tutored, and she didn't seem overjoyed to spend time with her anyway, so why would she willingly do this? There has to be something behind it.

"I have no ulterior motives," Sharpay states, as if reading her mind. "The fashionista in me can't stand the sight of this. And also, I hate that I owe you one for tutoring me."

"But I told you, you're helping me with the musical, and I'm not expecting anything in return anyway."

Sharpay whines and stomps her foot. "Gabriella, just let me do this, please. I can't just walk away and let you continue to live like this."

Then, she turns to Gabriella, before widening her eyes and pouting.

It's rather adorable.

"Fine," Gabriella admits, sighing as Sharpay jumps up and down and claps her hands excitedly, the glitters on her white shirt nearly blinding Gabriella. "But no glitters, please."

"Don't worry, I'll find stuff that fits you. I'm great at that. I do it for Ryan, too," Sharpay says as she picks up the pants again. "But seriously, what were you thinking?"

With a roll of her eyes, Gabriella grabs the pants from Sharpay's grasp and throws them down. "Okay, enough procrastination. Let's get to math!"

Sharpay grimaces as she walks back to Gabriella's bed. "I don't get how anyone would be this excited about math."

Gabriella smiles as she shrugs and sits down on the bed besides Sharpay and opens her book. "I'm the freaky math girl after all."

Sharpay hums thoughtfully. "Freaky math girl. I like that."

"Don't use it against me."

* * *

Sharpay has no idea what came over her to offer Gabriella to take her shopping.

She wanted to spend less time with her, not more.

However, she couldn't deny her instincts to go snooping around Gabriella's room when she was in there alone the other day and what she found in her closet was truly atrocious.

And the thing is, as much as Sharpay would deny it if ever asked, Gabriella is a pretty girl. She just doesn't dress like it and Sharpay can't stand around and let a pretty girl hide herself in ugly clothing. It's against everything she stands for and she refuses not take this challenge.

So, now she's impatiently waiting as Gabriella tries on the many clothes that she has picked out for her, hoping that it will be an improvement.

She doesn't realize how much of an improvement it is until Gabriella comes out of the fitting room, wearing a white top with frills and a pair of jeans.

It's not much different from the clothes Gabriella wears on a daily basis – just a little more sophisticated –, but still, Sharpay's breath hitches in her throat as Gabriella stands in front of the mirror and inspects her own appearance.

The girl is not just pretty, Sharpay thinks, she's _gorgeous_. With those black waves cascading down her back, and those pretty brown eyes, and her slight curves, and her long legs, she's stunning.

It makes Sharpay's heart beat a little faster as she feels an unfamiliar feeling overcome her.

She chalks it up to envy – Gabriella is great at everything, of course she's also great at being pretty –, and blinks a couple of times as she tries to regain her composure and slow down her heart.

"I like this," Gabriella comments as she puts her hands on her butt – why can't Sharpay take her eyes off her butt now? – and inspects her backside thoroughly. "Does it look okay?"

"It looks fabulous," Sharpay answers immediately, and Gabriella blinks at the speed and firmness of her answer. "See, I told you I'm good at this."

Gabriella's eyes meet Sharpay's through the mirror and she smiles, nodding as she softly says, "Yeah, you're great."

Sharpay doesn't know why she suddenly feels her cheeks heat up at the genuine sweetness in Gabriella's voice, quickly averting her gaze and clenching her jaw as she wills herself to cool down.

"Get back in there and try on one of those dresses," she says, a little tensely, and from the corner of her eye, she can see Gabriella's confusion as she slowly nods and walks back into the fitting room.

As she's in there, Sharpay succeeds to even her breathing, but she's rendered breathless quite soon again as Gabriella steps out again after a few minutes, now wearing a beautiful red dress.

The sight makes Sharpay gulp.

"I don't know if I like this," Gabriella admits, frowning as she looks down at her dress and wipes down the skirt. "I don't think I can pull it off."

That snaps Sharpay out of her daze. She shakes her head firmly as she stands up and walks up to Gabriella, putting her finger under her chin and making her look back up.

"It's all about confidence," she says, before gently brushing a finger against the soft skin of Gabriella's shoulder, Gabriella shivering under her touch. "You're better than you think you are. That's the entire reason I hated you."

Gabriella's eyes widen. "You used past tense."

Sharpay rolls her eyes, pushing away her discomfort at the awe on Gabriella's face. "I still don't like you, but hate is too strong a word. But that's besides the point. This dress is beautiful on you. You're beautiful. You've just got to believe in it. Or at least pretend you do."

As their eyes meet again through the mirror, Gabriella narrows her eyes for a fraction of a second, before smiling. "That's easier said than done, but thanks anyway."

Then, she moves away and walks back into the fitting room, leaving an overwhelmed Sharpay behind again.

They leave the store an hour later, packed with many of the clothes that Sharpay picked out for Gabriella, including the red dress, which Sharpay insisted on buying for Gabriella in case she changed her mind.

As they walk in the cold February air, Sharpay can feel Gabriella's eyes on her and it makes her feel on edge. However, before she can say anything, Gabriella speaks up first.

"Thanks for your help today," she says, sounding earnestly grateful. "And thanks for calling me beautiful. I'm not nearly as beautiful as you, though."

Sharpay rolls her eyes as she suppresses another blush. "I know."

As she looks over at Gabriella, the brunette is staring at the ground.

"Thanks for your compliment, though," Sharpay continues, smiling, and Gabriella looks up and returns it, warmth radiating from her smile.

And, in that moment, Sharpay realizes that spending time with Gabriella is more enjoyable than she thought.

Maybe taking her shopping was not such a bad idea after all.

* * *

Gabriella's vocals are improving.

Sharpay hadn't expected any different – as inexperienced as Gabriella was initially, Sharpay would be lying if she didn't see the same potential that everyone else sees.

And while Gabriella's talent originally threatened her, because she wasn't the only talented one anymore, she now feels threatened because she's truly starting to feel a strange fondness for her.

That fond feeling she had that day they went shopping has only grown since then, and now, watching Gabriella sing for her, standing a little taller than before and sing a little louder, a little less nasally, Sharpay feels her heart beat erratically again.

As much as she's reluctantly beginning to enjoy Gabriella's company, she would really like that feeling of panic to dissipate.

"You're getting better," Sharpay comments after Gabriella finishes singing. "You should really try do some vocal exercises, though."

As Gabriella's eyebrows furrow in confusion and she shakes her head, Sharpay suppresses an eyeroll at the girl's inexperience, before standing up and launching into her own vocal exercises.

"Brrr, brrr, brrr."

Gabriella watches with raised eyebrows, amused, as Sharpay makes sounds and lets her hands flutter around her and Sharpay glowers at her as she finishes.

"Don't laugh at me. They help you regulate your breathing," she explains curtly. "Try."

Gabriella tentatively copies the movements and sounds that Sharpay just displayed, before letting out a giggle as she finishes them. "They're kind of weird."

Sharpay ignores her. "Let's try them together."

As they do them again simultaneously, their gazes are locked on each other and Sharpay has to admit it, it does feel kind of strange to be doing this with Gabriella. However, she's a professional and this is just an ordinary practice, so she keeps a straight face as she averts her gaze from Gabriella and trains it on a random point in space.

However, when they finish again, Sharpay's eyes flicker back to Gabriella, whose grinning widely, and she can't help but join as Gabriella bursts into giggles again.

It's strangely exhilarating, to be laughing with Gabriella, about nothing. Just laughing, laughing, laughing.

"Okay, let's get back to the song," Sharpay says as their laughter ceases. "Maybe we could sing together? I could start and show you how it's supposed to be done, and you could join in?"

Who is this person and what has she done with Sharpay Evans? Why is she genuinely trying to help Gabriella? Why is she singing together with her?

Ever since the day they spent shopping, Sharpay has found she wants to spend time with Gabriella, and it's very confusing, but she has to admit, it's all worth it to see Gabriella's eyes lighting up like that.

"That would be great!" she exclaims, and Sharpay offers her a small smile, before grabbing her sheet music and starting to sing the first few verses of the song.

Gabriella joins in the chorus, and Sharpay decides to take the higher part so they can harmonize, before feeling a thrill run down her spine as she realizes how good they sound together.

As different as they are, their voices fit together perfectly, creating a beautiful harmony.

Gabriella seems to notice it as well, her eyes twinkling as they sing together, to each other, and Sharpay feels a strange feeling in her stomach, as she can't keep her eyes off her.

As they finish the song, Sharpay gulps and Gabriella blinks in shock as she suddenly averts her gaze, her cheeks painted a rosy pink.

"We sound good together," she mumbles shyly, and Sharpay's eyes cast downward as she gulps again and nods.

"We do."

They stay quiet for a minute, unsure what to say and where to look, before Gabriella suddenly hurries to the side of the stage to find her back.

"You know what, I have to go," she says. "I'm supposed to meet Tr– Taylor."

Quickly placing her sheet music in her bag, she stands up, smiling in a forced manner as she waves awkwardly. "See you tomorrow!"

"Toodles!" Sharpay musters, still feeling dazed as she waves back and watches Gabriella all but run out of the auditorium.

However, before she appears out of sight, she turns around and offers Sharpay a genuine smile. "Thanks for the help with the vocal exercises."

Sharpay musters a small smile in return. "You're welcome."

And then she's gone and Sharpay is left behind, alone with her anxieties.

Why does she keep having these moments with Gabriella? What the hell is going on?

* * *

Sharpay's house is impressive, to say the least.

Gabriella already knew that the Evans twins were loaded, but she had no idea how wealthy they truly are until now, standing in the grand foyer of their huge mansion.

"Let's go upstairs," Sharpay says as she hands their coats to the butler – they have a butler! –, and climbs up the giant staircase.

Gabriella follows suit, trying not to seem too much in awe at the indescribable grandeur surrounding her.

Sharpay's room, though, is easy to describe. It's pink.

The room is huge, like everything else in the house, and everywhere Gabriella looks, she's bombarded with the bright colour, from every wall to every piece of furniture.

"Impressed?" Sharpay asks, amused and a little smug, as Gabriella's gaze roams around the room.

"Yeah, kind of," Gabriella admits with a shrug as her eyes meet Sharpay's as the blonde sits down on the bed. "You really weren't kidding when you said you were wealthy."

"Yeah, there's perks to being part of the New Mexico Evans," Sharpay agrees as she gets back up and walks over to her – obviously pink – desk to grab her math textbook and a notepad, an obvious hint that she doesn't want to discuss this topic any further.

It's strange – Sharpay has seemed like she was warming up to her for a while, but now she's distant again, but in a different way. It seems like it's not that she doesn't want to be around her, but it's like she doesn't know _how_ to be.

However, Gabriella still wants to get to know Sharpay, as she's still inexplicably drawn to her, so she decides to continue the conversation.

"Is your dad away a lot for business?" she asks as she, too, sits down on the bed and grabs her own text book.

Sharpay shrugs, not looking up as she starts scribbling on the notepad. "Yeah, Daddy travels a lot, and mother often joins as well. They always brings home nice gifts, though, so we know they're always thinking about us."

Gabriella bites her lip as she's reminded of her conversation with Ryan a while ago. So, this is what he meant when he said their parents don't say no to them. They spoil Sharpay and Ryan rotten to make up for being distant parents.

As much as her mother has caused Gabriella to move around a lot and never find roots, she could never imagine just being left on her own with butlers and other staff by her own parent.

It makes her pity Sharpay, which Sharpay obviously seems to notice, as she's suddenly glowering at her, her homework forgotten.

"Don't feel sorry for me, I'm fine. I have everything I could ever need," she snaps and Gabriella smiles and shakes her head.

"I just think it's hard not to have your parents always near," she explains. "I know how it feels."

Sharpay's glare dissipates, replaced by a thoughtful look. "Yeah, now you mention it, you're always talking about your mom and never about your dad."

Gabriella looks down at her book, still closed, her lip quivering as she says, "Yeah, he died when I was twelve."

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Sharpay says, sounding a little bit shocked, but also earnestly pitiful. "You must miss him a lot. I mean, I miss my daddy, too, but at least he's coming back."

"Yeah, I do miss him a lot," Gabriella admits, smiling wistfully. "I wish he could see me now, being a musical star and all."

"I'm the star, you're just a supporting role," Sharpay reminds her, not at all viciously, before mustering a small smile. "I'm sure he'd be proud of you, though."

"I hope so."

For a moment, they stare into each other's eyes as they smile, before Sharpay blinks dazedly and averts her gaze, instead focusing on her math textbook.

However, Gabriella can't take her attention off Sharpay, watching as the blonde scrunches up her face rather adorably as she tries to solve the math problems before her.

Gabriella still doesn't understand why she's so intrigued by Sharpay – even if they're becoming something akin to friends, nearly everything that has transpired between them is a sign that Gabriella should stay far away from her. Yet she wants to know more, spend more time with her, be close to her. Yet they share these moments, where time seems to be frozen around them and all that exists is the other person, and Gabriella feels a strange uneasy yet pleasant feeling in her stomach.

It reminds her of something, or rather _someone_ , but that thought – one of blue eyes – just makes it all the more confusing.

"Okay, I think I've got it," Sharpay sighs, snapping Gabriella out of her daze and narrows her eyes suspiciously as she catches her staring.

Gabriella tucks a strand of hair behind her ear before scooting closer to Sharpay to inspect the work.

Shaking her head, she points at the notepad. "You have to do the exponentiation first before the multiplication."

"Oh, right," Sharpay murmurs, before returning to her notepad and starting to scribble again. "God, this is boring."

Gabriella lets out a giggle at Sharpay's obvious frustration as she watches her correct her mistake. However, she can see it's still wrong. "No, like this."

As she moves in to grab the pencil from Sharpay's grasp, their hands brush and it suddenly feels as if a spark of electricity is released, a spark travelling up her arm and straight to her heart.

Gabriella's eyes widen as she looks back up to Sharpay, who looks similarly shocked as she completely freezes.

For a second, they stare at each other, unable to grasp what just happened, both chests heaving up and down with panic, their face remaining so close that Gabriella can feel Sharpay's huffs of breaths on her cheek.

Out of their own volition, Gabriella's eyes flick down to Sharpay's pink lips, staring for a second before she suddenly snaps out her daze and shakes her head, turning back to the notepad as she tries to get her breathing under control.

"You see, what you're doing wrong is–"

"You should go."

Looking back up, Gabriella feels a slight pang in her heart as she notices Sharpay has recoiled.

It hurts a little, to see Sharpay pull away like that, but of course it was bound to happen. Sharpay was bound to realize that their truce – their _friendship_ – was a bad idea. It was bound to fall apart. Gabriella was bound to get hurt.

So, Gabriella bites her lip as she feels tears well in her eyes, before nodding and hopping off the bed, quickly grabbing her stuff and wordlessly putting it in her bag as she feels Sharpay's eyes follow her every wave.

"Bye," Gabriella mumbles as she flees from the room, all but running through the corridor to find the giant staircase from before.

As she finds it, she quickly travels downstairs, wordlessly travelling through the front door that a confused butler opens for her.

As soon as she's outside, she lets out a breath she doesn't know she has been holding as she registers what just happened.

The spark that travelled between them was so _strong_.

It still makes no sense.

Sharpay was right all along – they were never meant to be friends. It was always meant to end in pain.

Thus, Gabriella takes one last look at the mansion, before running off the long driveway, leaving Sharpay and their relationship behind.

* * *

 **A/N: One step forward, two steps backward, I guess? Sorry, lmao.**

 **Anyway, we're getting to the confusing feelings now and I'm excited! We're also getting to the cliché tropes, though, but you know what? There's barely any Gabpay fic, so I don't care, Gabpay deserves cliché scenes where they shop together and tutor each other!**

 **As always, please leave reviews, those make me so happy!**


	8. Chapter 8

_Sharpay can feel Gabriella's eyes on her. She can feel those brown orbs drilling holes through her head, as if Gabriella is trying to figure out something, as if she's trying to figure_ her _out._

 _It makes Sharpay feel on edge, and it makes her heart beat fast – a regular occurrence around Gabriella these days, a fact which she has no interest in dissecting further – as she tries to concentrate on her math problem._

 _It's a fairly easy one, but she still manages to get it wrong, watching with displeasure as Gabriella patiently explains her mistake._

 _The thing is that she can't concentrate on the math when Gabriella is around. Whenever Gabriella is around, she's the only thing that Sharpay has the ability to pay attention to._

 _She could easily solve this problem if that gorgeous head of dark curls was not so close to her._

 _Grumbling, Sharpay goes back to her notepad, trying to fix the mistake that Gabriella pointed out, but it's no use._

 _She's hopelessly overwhelmed by the fact that Gabriella Montez is in her room, a speck of blue in her sea of pink, and she hates that it's making her lose her edge, her perfection._

 _Gabriella, however, doesn't seem to care that Sharpay keeps screwing up, leaning over as she softly says, "No, like this."_

 _And then it happens._

 _It only occurs in the blink of an eye, but it shakes Sharpay to her very core. Gabriella's fingers brush over Sharpay's hand as she tries to retrieve her pencil and suddenly, Sharpay's entire body is set on fire, a scorching heat burning through her veins._

 _Both of them snapping back in shock, they stare at each other, unsure how to proceed, unsure how to act._

 _Gabriella's eyes are wide and terrified, and Sharpay can see that her chest is heaving up and down with the same breathlessness that she is experiencing herself._

 _They're sitting so close too, and Sharpay swears she can count Gabriella's long eyelashes as they continue to be frozen, their eyes remaining in contact._

 _But then, Gabriella unfreezes for just a moment, her eyes flickering down to Sharpay's lips, and Sharpay's eyes follow suit to look at Gabriella's lips, soft and agape, and she has no idea why she does what she does next, but she can't hold in her emotions any longer._

 _Leaping at Gabriella, she fuses her lips to hers, Gabriella grunting in surprise, before her hand flutters up to stroke the back of Sharpay's head as she kisses her back._

 _Gabriella's lips are soft, so incredibly soft, and they taste vaguely like strawberry lipgloss. Sharpay thinks she might have ascended to some form of heaven when Gabriella scoots closer and grabs Sharpay's hand with her free one, intertwining them in a perfect fit._

 _Sharpay's own hand grabs Gabriella's hip, squeezing passionately, and Gabriella sighs into the kiss in response._

 _Soon, the kiss slows down and they pull away, both wide-eyed and panting as they realize what they had just done._

 _Sharpay should be freaking out, sending Gabriella away, insisting that this was a mistake and that it never happened._

 _Yet, as she sees a spark light up in Gabriella's eyes, she does the exact opposite of what she is supposed to be doing._

 _Placing her hands on Gabriella's waist, she watches as Gabriella's sparkle turns into fiery desire before their lips lock again, even more passionately than before._

 _Sharpay can't think straight anymore. She can't think about the consequences, about how she shouldn't be doing this, about how she is not supposed to feel this way about Gabriella Montez. All she can think about is those soft lips._

 _So, with a sigh, she lets herself go._

With a gasp, Sharpay awakes and sits straight up in her bed, her heart beating erratically and her breath irregular as she pulls the sleeping mask off of her face.

That dream was so vivid, so real. It was like Gabriella's lips were actually on hers.

This is ridiculous.

She can't be having these kinds of dreams about Gabriella. She can't be having these kinds of feelings. It's not right. She should hate – or at the very least dislike – Gabriella, she shouldn't want to be feel her body warmth close to hers.

Yet she so desperately wishes that what happened in that dream could have been what happened in reality, instead of the rational part of her brain taking over and sending Gabriella away the second that Gabriella glanced at her lips.

It was the right thing to do, but the hurt on Gabriella's face was palpable and for once, Gabriella's hurt didn't make feel Sharpay feel delighted or smug, but it made her want to take all of the girl's worries away.

By kissing her senseless.

God, _why_? Why would she develop a desire for Gabriella Montez of all people? What did she do to deserve this?

And what does it mean? Does it mean that she has actual _feelings_ for Gabriella? Or did she just carried away, caught up in the moment, and was she just so shaken up by the moment they shared that she now can't get over it?

It's probably the latter, Sharpay decides. She's probably been too weirded out by what transpired between them, and that's why she had that dream.

Through all the confusion and panic, though, one thing is crystal clear – Gabriella is no good for her.

She needs to protect her sanity. She needs to do what she should have done in the first place and keep her distance. No more helping each other with the musical and math homework, no more shopping sprees, no more acting like they're friends.

The truce is over, Sharpay thinks as she pulls her sleeping mask back into place and lies back down, turning to lie on her side as she closes her eyes.

She's going to stay far away from Gabriella. That is the only way to keep her sanity. That is the only way for things to be alright again.

And with that thought, Sharpay falls back into slumber and unwelcome dreams about Gabriella's lips.

* * *

Even after making the decision to forget about Gabriella, Sharpay can't seem to do it.

The next morning, as she absentmindedly bites into an apple for breakfast, she still can't erase the memory of what happened the day before or that dream – _oh, that dream!_ – from her mind.

Besides her, Ryan is munching on his cereal, as he hums to himself joyfully, oblivious to Sharpay's inner turmoil.

She wishes she could talk to him about this. She wishes she could tell him, the way that they always tell each other everything, but something is keeping her from doing so.

She's too embarrassed and too confused to even broach the subject, and while that is not Ryan's fault – it's just her stupid pride or her stupid fear or _both_ –, it makes her feel even worse that she feels like she can't talk about it, that she's keeping such a huge secret from him.

Especially since he knows he won't judge. He never judges her, unless she's being malicious, and she never judges him. When he told her his deepest secret, one not unlike the one she's carrying with her right now, she didn't judge him or love him any less. She just sat there, held him, and spoke encouraging words, and she knows he would do the same for her.

But it's not that part of the secret, of these feelings, that she can't tell Ryan about. It's that it's _Gabriella Montez_.

"What are you think about?" Ryan's voice suddenly snaps her out her thoughts, and Sharpay blinks as she looks back up from the half-eaten apple she's been staring at.

"Nothing," she answers a little too quickly, a little too loudly, watching as Ryan's eyebrows rise suspiciously. "What are _you_ thinking about?"

"I was thinking about the choreography for _Bop to the Top_ ," Ryan replies. "I feel like we can spice it up a bit, but I'm not sure how."

Mustering a forced smile, Sharpay lays her hand on Ryan's affectionately, feeling grateful and slightly relieved from the distraction. "It's great, Ry. No changes needed."

Ryan narrows his eyes at her in response, and Sharpay tries to keep her composure steady as she realizes that this was exactly the wrong thing to say. Sharpay always has notes, suggestions, something to change.

Her being satisfied and genuinely encouraging must be a sign for Ryan that something is wrong.

"Are you okay? Something is off with you today," Ryan says, and Sharpay curses the day they were born. He knows her too well. Of course he can sense that something is up.

She should tell him. She should trust him with this.

With a deep sigh, she opens her mouth to tell him, but as she stares into Ryan's blue eyes, she realizes she can't do it. Not yet, at least. She needs to mull over this a bit more, figure out if it's real or just a strange one-time occurrence, like she hopes it is. Although… maybe he can help

"How did you realize you were gay?"

Well, that's one way to go about discussing this situation with her brother.

It's out of her mouth before she knows it, and she cowers a little as Ryan blinks in shock at the random question, before his eyes widen as he stares at her, realization dawning on him.

"Are you–? Do you think–?"

 _Maybe_.

"No!" Sharpay exclaims. "I was just thinking the other day about how you never told me how you found out and I got curious."

Ryan doesn't seem to buy her reasoning, still glaring at her curiously, but he doesn't probe any further. Instead, he purses his lips and shrugs. "I guess I kind of always knew deep down."

This makes Sharpay feel at least a little bit relieved.

This is all new for her. She's never even entertained the thought that this could happen until yesterday. It's definitely not something that's always been a part of her.

It could still just be a giant misunderstanding.

"I guess I've always thought boys were cute and I was fascinated by them in a way I wasn't about girls," Ryan continues. "Some boys made me feel nervous and uneasy. They made my heart skip a beat and all that. And then I just gradually started to realize that I was crushing on them."

Sharpay stays quiet as she feels her heart skip a beat, thinking back to many of the moments she's shared with Gabriella before.

Because what happened yesterday hasn't been their first moment. She remembers those long stares, that moment of panic in the clothing store, the way her heart picks up speed quite often whenever Gabriella is near.

This can't be happening.

Sharpay can't deny that she's always been fascinated by Gabriella ever since she's arrived. She's always chalked it up to feeling threatened by the change that Gabriella has brought about, but she can't pretend anymore that is all of it.

She definitely remembers that the first thing that sparked that fascination was not Gabriella's suspicious behaviour. It was her eyes. That sparkle that she couldn't shake, the same sparkle that was in her eyes yesterday.

Oh god, maybe she really does have a crush on Gabriella Montez.

She refuses to accept that. She refuses to give in. It's only going to end in further demise, and it's going to be much worse than what Gabriella's audition caused.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Ryan snaps her out her thoughts, his eyes concerned as he studied her face. "You look a little pale."

"I'm fine!" she snaps, feeling slight guilt wash over her as Ryan blinks and frowns in response. With a sigh, she continues, a little softer, "I just didn't sleep well last night. Don't worry about me."

Ryan hums thoughtfully, still appearing concerned, but he doesn't inquire any further as he returns to his food while Sharpay returns to staring at her apple as she contemplates what to do concerning the horrifying possibility that what happened was real.

She really needs to get rid of Gabriella. She needs to get rid of these feelings.

* * *

If there is one thing about East High that Gabriella is endlessly grateful for, it's Troy's secret rooftop.

Today has been bad, as expected, so she has been looking forward to coming here all day, let the worries drop off her as she stares at the spectacular view.

She still can't make sense of what happened yesterday in Sharpay's room. Were they just caught up in the moment? Or does it mean more? And if it does, why Sharpay Evans? Why the girl who had been nothing but terrible to her for weeks? Why the girl who she knew was trouble the minute their eyes locked that first day in homeroom?

The more she thinks about it, though, the less outlandish it seems. Ever since she got here, she has had a curiosity about Sharpay. At every turn where Sharpay attempted to make Gabriella's life miserable, Gabriella only became more intrigued, and wanted to be closer to her.

Maybe it's not just friendship that she wanted. Maybe it's more.

It's such a ridiculous notion, though. They might be a match in some ways, but they're wrong for each other for so many other reasons. She can't possibly have real feelings for Sharpay Evans. There's no way.

Right?

"Is there something wrong?" a male voice shakes Gabriella from her thoughts, and she averts her gaze from the mountaintops to land on Troy.

Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, she shakes her head. "No, I'm just tired. It's been a long day."

She doesn't think she can tell him about what is really bothering her. She's been getting used to these deep conversations with him, where they lay their souls bare, but she can't talk about this with him.

How do you tell someone you like that you had a possibly romantic moment with someone else?

Troy narrows his eyes slightly, before nodding slowly, both of their gazes drifting back to the view as Gabriella lets out a sigh.

When did her life get so complicated?

"How is the musical going?"

Gabriella can't help but crack a smile at the overly eager tone of his voice. Even despite his fear of actually participating, Troy's interest in the musical and rehearsals remain strong.

Oh, how she wishes he were there. It would make things a lot easier, especially now that she and Sharpay are back on bad terms again.

"We're making progress. We're starting to block scenes now, which is really fun."

It would be a lot more fun if she didn't have to deal with the Sharpay complication, though.

Troy just smiles wistfully. "I bet it is. And I bet you're great."

"Well, if you're supposed to believe Sharpay, I do have potential," Gabriella says, but she quickly regrets it when Troy looks back at her, his eyebrows raised curiously at the genuine tone of her voice.

"How is Sharpay doing anyway? Are you girls still getting along?"

 _No_. But she wants to get along with her more than ever, Gabriella thinks as she bites her lip.

"She's not the easiest person to be around," she answers – of course, it's not the entire truth, but it's close enough. "But I think I may actually enjoy her company."

She has definitely missed it today, with Sharpay – and by extension, a confused Ryan – ignoring her existence all day. There was no cruelty like Gabriella feared, but there was no pretending that nothing happened. Instead, there was just nothing. Just an endless rift between them that can't be mended.

She's glad she doesn't have to worry about such a strain when she's with Troy, though. With Troy, everything is easy. As strange as it is, considering their different backgrounds and the secretive nature of their friendship, being with Troy feels safe.

Stepping a little closer to him, she softly lays her head on his shoulder, a gesture of intimacy and gratefulness. "I don't think there's anyone in this school whose company I enjoy more than yours, though."

And, as much as she longs for Sharpay's company, it really is true. Being here with him, she always feels freed from her worries.

Troy's head turns to look at her, his eyes a little hooded as he stares at her intensely, the blue in his eyes setting off a familiar feeling of butterflies.

"Likewise," he whispers, a little hoarsely, and Gabriella's gaze trails down to his lips out of their own volition, and suddenly, she's thrown back to that moment yesterday, that moment that she's been trying to forget.

With a gasp, she steps back from him, his eyes widening in horror and agony in response.

She can't dwell on the look in his eyes, though. All there is, is panic. Panic, panic, panic.

She just felt the exact same spark she felt with Sharpay. And she has accepted long ago that she has feelings for Troy. If this is the same… That would mean her feelings for Sharpay are real, too.

She has to get out of here.

"Sorry, I have to go," she quickly says as she grabs her stuff from the bench and almost trips as she hurries down the stairs.

His footsteps follow her, but she can't focus on anything but the pounding in her ears and the erratic breaths coming out of her mouth as she runs away.

"Gabriella!" she hears him yell after her, alarmed and a little hurt, but she just keeps running until she's in the ladies room, locked in a stall as she tries to catch her breath.

It was real.

Of course it was real. It has been real all along. All that intrigue she felt for Sharpay, the way she kept drawing Sharpay's attention against knowing better, there was a reason for it.

And, as she now realizes, she has been comparing Troy and Sharpay since the very start. Both of them have occupied her every thought since she came here, and she has thought it was for different reasons, but maybe they were the same reasons all along.

She feels drawn to Troy because he makes her feel free and at ease, but she feels drawn to Sharpay because she challenges her, excites her. Both of them make her feel alive, but for different reasons.

And now she's here, opening up her heart to both of them, going to be hurt and going to cause pain to both of them.

Why does she always get herself in situations where she's going to get herself hurt, where she's going to get too attached?

Why couldn't she just have done what she was supposed to do and join the scholastic decathlon without getting involved with either Troy or Sharpay? Why couldn't she just go down the easy path? Why did she have to make things so difficult for herself?

She's going to get her heart broken. Possibly twice. She has to get out of this mess before it escalates even further.

Maybe she should quit the musical. Maybe she should run away before it's too late.

* * *

 **A/N: Gabpay vs. Troyella is the love triangle we deserved, goodbye. Also, I felt it was really important that Sharpay talked to Ryan about this, as Ryan obviously would have experience with these kind of feelings. I hope I did that justice. As always, please leave kudos and/or comments to make me happy! :)**


	9. Chapter 9

Sharpay has always had a temper. As long as she has been alive, she has been screaming, and as long as she could comprehend emotions, she has been stomping her foot and scowling and growing red with anger.

It's the only way she knows how to cope with adversity. She shouts and stomps until someone else solves her problem for her.

This time around, however, there is no one to solve her problem. There's no one who can make an expensive purchase or rearrange a song to accommodate it to Sharpay's needs and desires.

There's no one who can make these feelings go away.

Ever since the incident, Sharpay has been avoiding Gabriella, pretending that she doesn't exist. Instead of going back to her snide remarks and attempts to intimidate her, she feels like it's better to ignore her and hope that the problem will just go away.

And it's working.

Maybe Gabriella is equally avoiding her, equally afraid to face her, because she hasn't been nagging at her, just walking straight past her in the hallways, staying quiet during rehearsals, sitting with Taylor at lunch.

It should have been a relief, to have a break from Gabriella and her aggravating eagerness, to be able to pretend that she isn't falling apart, but she has to admit that she misses her.

It's become somewhat of a normal, to have Gabriella trailing beside her, trying to be her friend, and it feels quiet without her, as if something is missing.

Sharpay hates quiet and she hates not having everything she wants and needs.

So, in turn, Sharpay is compensating for the quiet. By yelling at every single person besides the one person she really wants to yell at.

"Why does it feel like I'm the only person who cares about this musical?!"

Sharpay is standing on stage, hand on her hip as her eyes slide over each and every single person – all except one – sitting in the auditorium with a vicious rage.

Darbus had to be absent today – something about a meeting with Principal Matsui and Coach Bolton that couldn't be rescheduled –, so as president of the drama club, Sharpay has taken over to lead the rehearsal and she has learned today that she is most definitely not cut out to be a teacher.

She's too angry, too frustrated to deal with everyone's complete incompetence, and she can't stand it that no one seems to be actually doing what she's telling them to do. She doesn't know if it's Darbus's absence or if everyone is just having a bad day, but every single person, from tech to band to actors, is continuously messing up and Sharpay is quickly starting to reach boiling point. As a teacher, as a leader, she should be accommodating and calmly correct people and teach them how to do their jobs properly. Instead, she just wants to throw some punches.

Nothing is going the way she wanted. Nothing is going the way she planned.

So, she does the one thing she knows how to do in these situations. She unleashes her temper.

"Well?!"

Every single one of her fellow students under her scrutiny are cowering, a look of genuine fear in their eyes, and while this normally would delight Sharpay, her desire for power is now trampled by her annoyance and her panic about her entire world crashing around her.

"Sharpay," Ryan speaks up, a slight tremble in his voice, "I think we're just all really tired. Why don't we just call it a day?"

"No," Sharpay barks immediately, scowling at her brother. "We need to get our crap together or else this musical is going to be a disaster and I refuse to let that happen."

Ryan opens his mouth again, but Sharpay raises her eyebrows at him menacingly, so he just sighs and sits back in his chair.

Then, her eyes roam the room, only to land on the one person she's been trying not to look at.

She's sitting next to Kelsi, slumping in her seat as she stares at the floor.

She looks just as miserable as Sharpay feels and Sharpay genuinely doesn't get it. She's not the one may have who caught feelings for someone she thought she hated. She's not the one whose life has completely been blown into a whirlwind because someone decided to audition and ruin all her plans.

Sharpay can't stand it, to see her like this. She wants Gabriella to speak up, to go against everything Sharpay wants. She wants a legitimate reason to hate Gabriella again, to realize that all of these feelings are silly and unnecessary, so she can look back at this in a few years and laugh.

She wants things to go back to the way they were, before all of this happened.

"Gabriella," she says, and she watches as Gabriella blinks and looks up with shock and curiosity.

She immediately knows it's a bad idea, though, as a spark runs through her at looking into those beautiful eyes again.

Ignoring the flutter in her stomach, Sharpay narrows her eyes at the girl, before smiling phonily. "You always have suggestions to improve the musical, don't you? Why don't you tell us what to do?"

Gabriella blinks again, before looking around at the expectant faces and looking back to Sharpay.

This is usually the point where that challenging glint appears in Gabriella's eyes, the one that riles Sharpay up, but instead, her gaze remains empty of any kind of fire or spark.

"I don't know," she says quietly, and Sharpay lets out a heavy breath and purses her lips in response. "I think Ryan may be right. We're all tired."

"Of course you don't know," she scoffs. "None of you do. None of you have any idea what to do. Idiots."

Shaking her head, she walks off the stage and moves towards the back where Gabriella is sitting in menacing strides.

However, she stops before she reaches Gabriella, bending down at the seat where Alan is sitting.

"You're up," she says lowly as she stares into his frightened eyes. "And I swear to god, if you stumble of your words one more time, I'm going to tear you up from limb to limb."

"Sharpay!" Ryan exclaims warningly and Sharpay rolls her eyes as she stands up again and motions for Alan to go.

As Alan scurries off to the stage, Sharpay turns back and raises her eyebrows at Gabriella one more time, challengingly, but Gabriella doesn't respond, just remaining quiet.

Sharpay hates the quiet. She hates this new normal where she and Gabriella ignore each other. She hates that she hates this new normal.

She hates that she can't solve this problem.

* * *

When Gabriella thought about the inevitable end of the truce with Sharpay, she thought that things would go back to the way they were, with Sharpay being rude and Gabriella fighting the injustice she causes.

Reality is much more brutal.

Sharpay is still lashing out, but not at her specifically – rather, she lashes out at everything and everyone _besides_ Gabriella. Meanwhile, Gabriella doesn't know how to behave anymore, so she just remains quiet, miserable, out of place.

Normally, when Gabriella is this distraught, she would go up to the rooftop and just enjoy the fresh air and spectacular view. However, when rehearsal finishes – it was particularly brutal one with Sharpay at the helm –, she has no idea where to go or what to do.

Not only has she driven Sharpay away, but she has also driven Troy away.

Ever since the mishap the other day, Gabriella hasn't visited the rooftop anymore or even looked him in the eye, because she doesn't know what to do, how to act, whether she can even explain to him what is going on inside of her head.

Chaos, is the best word to describe it. How can she have feelings for two people, both so vastly different, and both so capable of breaking her heart?

So, as she hurries out of the auditorium, quickly waving at Kelsi, she decides that the only thing to do is go home and wallow in self-pity alone.

However, when she enters the hallway, she suddenly feels a strong hand on her arm and a spark shoot through her body.

"Gabriella."

Looking at who has grabbed a hold of her, her eyes double in size as she suddenly feels nauseous.

It's Troy. And he looks as if he's in agony.

She gulps as he releases her arm from his grip and they wordlessly move away from the door as not to stand in anyone's way or grab unwanted attention.

For a moment, they just stare at each other in silence, so many unspoken questions and apologies between them.

Gabriella bites her lip, feeling supremely awkward, before quietly saying, "Hi."

She rubs her hands along her arms in a gesture of anxiety, and Troy's eyebrows furrow in worry. "Are you cold?"

Gabriella almost wants to laugh at his genuine concern. He's so kind, even after she left him with such confusion. Why can't she just like him and only him? And why can't she just open her heart to him?

Because she always sets herself up for disappointment and pain, that's why.

Silently, she shakes her head in response to his question, and the awkward silence between them continues.

Troy is the one who eventually breaks it, and to take the plunge. With a pained frown, he asks her, "Did I misread the signs?"

Gabriella freezes. _No_ , she wants to scream. None of this is his fault. All of this is due to her and her stupid feelings and her brain that's unwilling to shut up.

However, not a sound comes out.

"I mean, I thought our connection meant something more and I thought you felt the same and I'm so sorry if I misread that and freaked you out," he continues, and Gabriella blinks as she unfreezes, before shaking her head furiously.

"It's not your fault," she says, firmly as she takes a step closer to him. "It's my fault. I'm scared."

Troy's eyebrows rise slightly, and Gabriella feels a blush come on as she moves her the gaze to the ground, her voice growing soft and nervous as she continues, "I know it may not seem like it to you, but I'm not as brave as you seem to think I am. I'm just as terrified as you are of opening up myself."

As she looks back up, she expects disappointment on his face, but instead, there's a small, affectionate smile on his face.

"So it wasn't just me?"

Feeling a blush come on, she shakes her head. "No, not just you. I just don't know how to deal with this."

Furthermore, she doesn't know how to deal with the fact that there's two people she has to deal with.

At least there's only one person who may feel the same way.

"I'm sorry," she says, and Troy shakes his head as his grin only grows, the storm in his eyes disappearing and making way for that gorgeous light ocean blue.

Softly, tentatively placing a hand on her shoulder, he squeezes. "Don't be sorry. You know that I know what it's like to be scared. We'll figure it out together."

Together. She likes that.

Just as she smiles and leans in a little closer to him – although she leaves enough space between them, still afraid to get too close –, the moment suddenly crashes down around them as a body pushes into hers from behind.

Blinking, she turns around to see Sharpay, scowling at her.

"Oops!" Sharpay exclaims sarcastically, before shooting Troy a fake smile. "Hi, Bolton. What are you doing here?"

Troy's hands fly up to his neck awkwardly as his eyes flick back and forth between Gabriella and Sharpay. "I was just talking to Gabriella."

Sharpay hums in response, before turning back to Gabriella and Gabriella bites her lip under Sharpay's scrutinizing gaze.

Why does she see a speck of hurt in Sharpay's hazelnut eyes? How much of her and Troy's conversation did she hear? And if that's the reason why she looks so hurt, why would that hurt her?

Does she–? No, that's ridiculous. That's just wishful thinking. And why is she even wishing that Sharpay returns her feelings in the first place?

After a moment of intense eye contact, Sharpay shakes her head and scoffs. "Well, toodles."

Then, she turns to walk off, but before she can get far, Gabriella calls after her. "Sharpay!"

Sharpay turns around, raising her eyebrows expectantly, and Gabriella tucks a curl behind her ear nervously. She doesn't know what to say. She just wants Sharpay's attention.

So, she just says the first thing to come to mind.

"Do you still need tutoring?" she asks, and she inwardly berates herself for asking such a stupid question.

The answer is so clear.

Sharpay seems to think it's stupid as well, as she just stares at Gabriella incredulously for a moment.

"No, I'm good," she says curtly, before turning around and strutting off, Gabriella watching after her with a deep sigh.

"What was that about?" Troy asks once Sharpay is out of sight. "I thought you were getting along?"

Gabriella sighs. "It's complicated."

Complicated and confusing and painful.

She really needs to clear her head.

Troy nods slowly, not asking any further questions, before a knowing smile grows on his face. "Can I interest in you in a calming view from the rooftop?"

Gabriella giggles in response as she breaks out into a large beam. "That's exactly what I need."

Troy winks at her. "Race you?"

"You're on."

And, as they run away together, laughing loudly, Gabriella feels a weight drop from her shoulders.

She's still scared and her mind is still a mess and she misses Sharpay, but at least she hasn't lost Troy.

At least there's still someone out there for her.

* * *

It feels strange to be having lunch with Taylor.

It's not like she hasn't had lunch with Taylor since she befriended Sharpay, but those were different circumstances. When she divided her attention between Taylor and her friends from drama club, she was actually spending time with Taylor solely because she enjoyed her company.

Now she's also having lunch with Taylor because there's no attention to divide anymore.

"So, what happened between you and Sharpay?" Taylor asks casually as she picks a piece of tuna off her plate and Gabriella sighs as she moves her gaze away from the table upstairs to her friend.

"Nothing happened. Why do you think it did?"

Taylor lets out a laugh and shakes her head. "I know you, Gabriella. You've been quiet for days now and you keep staring at her longingly."

This makes Gabriella turn a dark shade of red as she almost chokes on her food.

"I'm not longing for her," she splutters. "I'm not longing for anyone."

Still, she can't keep her gaze from flicking up for a second, which obviously doesn't go unnoticed by Taylor, who just scoffs.

"You don't think I haven't noticed you looking up constantly? Or the fact that you've been staring at the back of her head during homeroom instead of paying attention?"

Gabriella continues blushing as she looks down at her plate, unsure of what to say.

Of course Taylor is right. Of course she is longing. It's just that no one knows to which extent she longs.

It's not a longing for a friendship or a truce, it's a longing for something more.

No one can ever know.

"Look, I won't say I told you so, but I can't say that I'm surprised that something happened between you two," Taylor continues. "That girl is a snake. I still don't get why you wanted to get along with her in the first place, after how horrible she has been to you."

"She's not that bad," Gabriella mumbles, and Taylor scoffs again.

"Gabriella, I was there when you accidentally spilled your lunch on her. I was there when she spent a week throwing constant temper tantrums after you got a role in the musical. I've also seen the way she tramples all over her own brother and that composer girl. She's rude and spoilt and selfish. How can you not see that?"

Gabriella shrugs. "I just think she's misunderstood. There's more to her than just the bad. She's pretty cool once you get to know her."

"If she's so cool, then why aren't you hanging with her anymore?" Taylor retorts, and Gabriella bites her lip as she frowns, flashes of that afternoon when everything went wrong appearing before her eyes.

Taylor would never understand.

As Gabriella remains quiet, Taylor rolls her eyes. "See? That's what I mean. She's a terrible person and she's incapable of change."

"Taylor, will you just stop?!" Gabriella exclaims, a little more loudly than intended, before gulping and looking back again. "You don't know her. Yeah, she's a little snobby and a little rude, but she isn't some demon like you're making her out to be. She has actually helped me a lot."

Taylor's eyebrows furrow as she stares at Gabriella incredulously, a little suspiciously. "Why do you keep defending her?"

Gabriella shrugs again. "I like her."

A lot more than Taylor would ever know.

Taylor sighs as she shakes her head, before looking up at Sharpay, Ryan and Kelsi's table. "Well, she obviously doesn't like you."

A little more softly, more gently, she continues, "I think it's admirable that you want to see the good in people, but you can't change people and turn them into someone they aren't."

Gabriella sighs as she looks up too. Maybe Taylor is right. Maybe she has been trying too hard to get Sharpay to like her. Of course she hasn't wanted to change who Sharpay is, but somewhere along the line, maybe she has conjured up an image of Sharpay that isn't true to reality. Maybe she has been so desperate to show that she's different that she has made her believe that Sharpay is different, too.

Maybe she has been trying too hard to be different. She has been going through such trials and tribulations the past couple of months and if it continues this way, it's never going to pay off.

Maybe she's not as different as she thought. Maybe she has always been meant to be a loser, an outsider, whether she's in the musical or in the scholastic decathlon. Maybe being in the musical isn't as worth it as she once thought.

She's always going to be an outsider, a threat to Sharpay. She's always going to have to fight.

She's tired of fighting. Fighting Sharpay, fighting Taylor, fighting her feelings, fighting for herself. She's tired of all of this.

She's tired of being different.

"How's the scholastic decathlon going?" she asks, changing the subject, and Taylor suddenly lights up as she starts rambling about the comings and goings of the club, Gabriella nodding and smiling along, even though she's not really listening.

"I know you're busy with the musical, but you really should join!" Taylor ends her ramble, and Gabriella bites her lip as she contemplates that.

Deep down, she knows that the scholastic decathlon isn't for her anymore, and that she wants to continue to be in the musical.

But she can't continue on like this anymore.

So, with a forced smile, she says, "Maybe."

Maybe she should just accept her fate. Maybe she should just accept that nothing is ever going to change.


	10. Chapter 10

"How did your math test go?"

Sharpay smiles triumphantly as she presents her test to Ryan. "I got a B."

Ryan's eyes widen as a grin grows on his own face. "That's so great! So I guess all the tutoring has paid off?"

Sharpay's smile immediately disappears off her face at that. Slamming the paper down on the lunch table, she pouts and rests her face in her hands as she takes a sip from her drink.

Yes, the tutoring has definitely paid off, but she is not going to admit that. Because that means admitting that Gabriella has actually helped her, and that she has actually made her life a little better.

She can't admit that to anyone, and, most importantly, not to herself.

Therefore, she ignores Ryan's comment as she silently picks at her food, trying not to pay attention to the way Ryan and Kelsi are exchanging worried looks.

They aren't fools. They have noticed Sharpay's bad moods and Gabriella's absence. They know that something went down between the two of them, but they haven't brought it up, obviously too afraid of the inevitable outburst it would cause.

Thank god Sharpay hasn't lost her way of intimidating others, because she really doesn't think she can deal with their questions and interference.

"Maybe we can start rehearsing after school again," Kelsi suddenly pipes up, a little nervously, and Sharpay scoffs as she rolls her eyes.

"Yeah, well, lord knows we need some extra rehearsal."

As it turns out, the bad rehearsal that Sharpay had led wasn't a one-time occurrence. It's like everyone has been off their game recently – except, obviously, Sharpay who has started to focus all her attention on her performance to avoid dealing with her problems –, and it's becoming more likely that this entire thing is going to be a humiliation to the great institution that is the East High drama department.

"Maybe Gabriella could join the extra rehearsals again," Ryan responds, and Sharpay's head perks up at that, her gaze meeting Ryan's in a cold glare.

His eyes are wide, and it's obvious that the words came out before he realized it, but a fury still settles within her at even hearing that name.

Before she can open her mouth to scream at him, though, Ryan quickly continues, "You know, because she has such a large part, and she's always needed a little extra help."

His additional comment gives her just enough time to reconsider her tantrum, to think rationally. Now, of course, Sharpay has never been a rational person, always acting on her emotions and her impulses, but she knows Ryan. She knows that he's suspicious, that he will demand to know the truth, if she throws a fit over something as simple as the mention of a name.

And she can't lie to him and keep this a secret, as good of an actress as she is and as much as she wants to keep this to herself.

So, with a huff and a casual shrug, she says, "She'll be fine."

And she will be. She has to be. She'll learn how to survive with Sharpay, just as Sharpay will learn how to survive without her.

Still, Sharpay's heart aches, so she looks down to find the table Taylor usually sits at, only to find Gabriella not there with her.

Feeling a pit form in her stomach, her eyes move towards the table where the jocks sit, her suspicions confirmed as she doesn't find Troy Bolton amongst his friends.

Sharpay feels a heaviness settle in her chest as she remembers the conversation she had walked in on a few days ago.

She still doesn't know why and how those two are hanging out, but one thing is clear – Gabriella likes Troy. And Troy likes her back.

And Sharpay is left with memories and dreams that will lead to nowhere. For the first time in her life, she truly feels like she's losing.

However, maybe she's winning after all. Maybe she's dodging a bullet before it's too late and maybe she can keep this to herself and not be subjected to humiliation. Maybe it's for the best.

With a shake of her head, she turns back to her food.

Gabriella will be fine without her. And Sharpay will learn be fine without Gabriella too.

* * *

"Are you sure your friends won't miss you?"

Lunch has become Gabriella's least favourite part of the day over the past few days, as she spends it either missing Sharpay and her other friends from the musical or being annoyed with Taylor and her harsh judgment.

So, when Troy invited her up to the rooftop to have lunch with her there today, she felt quite delighted.

Watching as he tears into a sandwich, she even feels at ease for the first time in a while.

"Nah," he says, mouth full, and he shakes his head. "They'll survive without me."

He looks down at his sandwich for a moment, before locking his eyes with Gabriella's again, blushing as a hand comes up to rub his neck. "I prefer spending time with a gorgeous girl like you anyway."

Gabriella feels herself flush in response. "Troy…"

Troy frowns, a little guilty. "Sorry, I'm pushing it."

He isn't pushing it, of course – it's just an innocent compliment, a _nice_ compliment, a sign of his affection for her –, but she still doesn't know how to deal with his flirting now that it's become real and their feelings are out in the open.

Well, at least, partially. Troy still doesn't know that he isn't the only person she has feelings for. And she feels guilty about that, about potentially leading him on, so she still tries to push him away as much as she can.

And while he's understanding and apologetic whenever she gets uncomfortable, it is a little weird to remain just friends with him even though they know how they feel about one another.

God, why does she have to make things so complicated for herself?

"It's okay," she whispers as she tucks a hair behind her ear, shooting him a small smile, which he returns as he takes another bite of his sandwich, leaving a bit of sauce in the corner of his lip.

Her smile widening, she points to the same spot on her own face. "You've got something there."

Troy blushes in embarrassment as he hurries to wipe at his lips. "Gone?"

Gabriella shakes her head, giggling as Troy grows redder as he continues wiping furiously at his lips, and keeps just missing the spot.

Shaking her head with playful aggravation, she leans forward to wipe away the sauce from his lips. As the tip of her finger flutters against his lips, she feels a small spark run through her, and as she realizes how close their faces away, she quickly pulls away, suddenly feeling awkward.

"As good as new," she says a little anxiously, but Troy doesn't seem to share her nerves, just smiling at her gratefully and continuing to eat as if nothing happened, as if they weren't so close just now.

He's doing this to make her feel at ease and she can't be more grateful.

However, she can see the hopeful spark hidden in his eyes, and the guilt seeps in again.

"Are you really okay with taking things slow, just staying friends for now?" she asks, averting her gaze, before Troy places a finger under her chin and lifts her head back up to look him in the eyes.

His own eyes are warm with honesty as he says, "Of course. I know all about fear, remember? I'm not going to push you into things you don't want, that's not cool."

A mischievous twinkle appearing in his eyes, he winks at her. "I'm fine as long as I get to spend time with you."

Gabriella softly pulls his hand away from her chin and rolls her eyes playfully. "Charmer."

Then, she smiles, a little bashfully. "But the feeling is likewise."

And it's the truth. She's glad she can remain in his presence, be with him, while she takes her time to figure out what her heart wants.

She hates that she can't be in Sharpay's presence, too, but this is good enough.

It's good enough to have him, at least.

* * *

Sharpay is off her game.

Up until now, she's been able to proudly say that she is the only one who can hold herself together in musical rehearsals. She's not fumbling over lines, or singing off-key, or unable to follow stage directions, unlike every single one of her peers.

However, it seems that she's the one who can't hold it together today.

Of course, she knew this moment would inevitably come, where the facade would break, but somewhere deep inside her, she still had hope that she would be able to cope with all of this, that she would retain her integrity and her grace and her perfectionism.

Alas, it was not meant to be. Because inevitably, she would have to face the music – pun unintended –, and work with Gabriella again.

They have so many scenes together, and it's impossible to avoid her forever, but she just wishes she could.

Because right now, staring into Gabriella's – _Mary's_ – eyes as she talks about how in love Minnie is with Arnold, Sharpay feels as if she's going to shatter into a million tiny pieces at any second.

And if there's one thing she hates, it's feeling weak.

"And scene!" Ms. Darbus calls, just as Mary is about to tell Minnie to be careful.

Both girls turn to Ms. Darbus, who looks furious as she has her hands placed on her hips, and Sharpay feels a burning shame rage through her.

She doesn't like it when she doesn't get Ms. Darbus's approval. It only occurs rarely, but it always makes her feel terrible and inadequate.

It makes her feel scared. And she's been feeling scared enough lately.

"What happened? You two used to nail this scene and now it's abhorrent," Ms. Darbus barks as she stands in front of them, and Sharpay grimaces as she feels Gabriella's eyes on her, both of them knowing exactly what caused them to stop working well together.

It's funny, though, because when they shamelessly hated each other – or at least, when Sharpay hated Gabriella –, they used to work together great. But now that they've had a taste of what it could be like if they would actually get along and it all fell apart, they're terrible.

"Miss Montez, you have potential, but you can't just slack off. You have to give it your all," Ms. Darbus continues, turning to Gabriella and Sharpay nods vigorously as she watches Gabriella flush with embarrassment.

Ms. Darbus is right. Gabriella has to give it her all. She can't divide her attention with other things. It's unfair to the musical and the other people who work on it.

It's also unfair to Sharpay that she gives her attention and then turns around and gives it to Troy as well.

But that's not relevant right now.

"And Miss Evans," Ms. Darbus says, her voice booming and filled with disappointment as she turns to Sharpay, who pouts in response. "I've seen what you can do and this is not it. I expect better from you."

She expects better from herself too. Scowling as she feels everyone's eyes on her, she feels humiliated and small, but she holds her head high as she nods.

Looking back and forth between the two girls, Ms. Darbus sighs. "I don't know and I don't care what happened between you two personally, but you need to act like professionals."

Sharpay's gaze flickers to Gabriella, meeting her eyes briefly, before she meets Ms. Darbus's gaze again. "Yes, Ms. Darbus."

With a firm nod, Ms. Darbus moves away again, draping her colourful scarf over her shoulder. "From the top!"

With a sigh, Sharpay turns back to Gabriella and launches back into character, trying so desperately to suppress the agonizing pain sitting in her chest.

Of course, she can't wish her heartache away, but she's nothing if not a good actress, so she regains her composure and moves the walls back up.

She's going to fake it until she makes it.

* * *

Gabriella is getting more and more convinced that she may have made a mistake in auditioning for the musical.

She's not living up to the potential that Ms. Darbus saw in her, and her difficulties with Sharpay are taking the fun out of it as well.

So, when rehearsal is done for the day, she gets out as quickly as she can. Maybe she can go to the rooftop, get her mind off things. And if not, she'll just go home.

However, when she walks past the gym, and hears the sound of a basketball bouncing, she can't help but get a little curious as she peers inside.

The sight that she finds makes her smile. It's Troy, shooting free throws by himself. Although he has said many times that he's been experiencing a lot of pressure due to the sport, he looks quite peaceful right now.

She bites her lip and walks into the gym as Troy turns around to see her watching him and shoots her a mischievous smile.

"So, this is your stage, huh?" she says jokingly, and Troy laughs as he shakes his head and hands her the ball.

"Nah, it's just the gym."

Tentatively, Gabriella grabs the ball from his hands and throws it, smiling triumphantly as it swishes through the basket perfectly.

"Are you good at everything?" he asks, faking annoyance.

She picks up the ball, before shrugging as she turns back to him. "Well, I once scored 41 points in the league championship game."

She can barely hold in her laughter as Troy's eyes widen, impressed, before she adds mischievously, "I also invented the space shuttle and microwave popcorn."

His impressed expression is immediately wiped from his face as he rolls his eyes and grabs the ball from her hands. "Funny."

He throws the ball into the net again and Gabriella watches him with a knowing smile, which Troy obviously notices, since he turns to her and quirks an eyebrow. "What?"

"You seem very peaceful when you're playing," she says, continuing to smile as Troy rubs his neck bashfully. "It's not at all like how I imagined you as a basketball player."

"Well, it's great when I get to do it on my own terms," he admits. "I just don't like the pressure of being captain. I want to do it because I like it, not because other people do."

Gabriella nods, as she thinks back to where she was at the beginning of the semester, wanting to be more than what other people expected of her. It seems like forever ago, when she had that pressure on her shoulders.

Now, she has a different kind of pressure, but it feels strange to think that she once didn't know that feeling of freedom that being in the musical and breaking the mold gives her.

"That's why I admire you," Troy continues, as if he's reading her mind. "Because you auditioned and dealt with all the consequences, because you wanted to do it."

Gabriella merely blushes in response, and Troy smiles at her before throwing the basketball into the net again.

His words remain on the back of her mind as she continues to watch his practice. Suddenly, she's reminded again that she's not only doing this for herself, but also to help others who have trouble sticking up for themselves.

She has come so far. Maybe she shouldn't give up just yet. Maybe she should give it a little more time.

Suddenly, Gabriella notices that Troy's demeanour is changing, his hand going up to his neck to scratch in a nervous gesture as he blushes bashful. Gabriella raises her eyebrows at his sudden change in demeanour, before he smiles at her nervously.

"Hey, my parents are out of town this weekend. Do you want to come over to watch a movie? Hang out outside of school?"

Gabriella's eyes widen as her heart skips a beat. Hanging out alone at Troy's house? For some reason, it seems like a big step, especially considering how nervous Troy looks.

However, it also seems like fun. And she needs fun.

So, she shrugs in what she hopes is a casual fashion and answers, "Sure."

Troy grins in response. "Great."

And then, on a complete whim, she grabs the basketball from his hands and starts running around with it, giggles spilling from her mouth.

"Hey! That's travelling! No, that's bad travelling!"

Suddenly, she feels his arms around her waist and she lets out a little squeal as he picks her up from the ground and spins around.

And, as she realizes she doesn't feel the worries about Sharpay and the musical consuming her anymore, she feels a warmth run through her.

Yes, fun is exactly what she needs.

* * *

As Gabriella sits on the couch in the Bolton house, fun is not the word on her mind anymore.

Instead, it's fear. And anxiety.

The film has just started – they picked on a thriller that is not too scary – and Gabriella feels incredibly awkward as she's sitting as far away from Troy as possible.

She hadn't realized that this could definitely count as a date, and she's definitely not ready for that yet. Not as long as she still has these feelings for Sharpay, and not as long as she still has fear of emotional proximity anyway.

Troy doesn't seem to mind, though, engrossed in the movie as he pops popcorn in his mouth. However, when he feels Gabriella's eyes on his, he turns to her and smiles.

Handing out the bowl to her, he offers, "Popcorn?"

Smiling awkwardly, Gabriella grabs a handful from the bowl, trying to focus her attention on what is happening on the screen as well.

However, she can't do it. She keeps feeling on edge due to his presence and she can't help but flick her gaze to him at what feels like a rate of every few seconds.

As his eyes flick towards hers as well and their eyes meet, she blushes.

Her blush deepens when the couch shifts as he scoots closer to her, tentatively putting an arm around the back of the couch.

Looking back up, she sees that he's staring at her still, and a slow grin grows on his face when their eyes meet.

Suddenly, she's transported to a time when she was just as close with Sharpay, and the fear she felt then.

It encompasses her now too, but she fights through the urge to get up and leave, knowing how much it could potentially ruin.

She knows she's leading him on, not knowing yet what she wants, but she doesn't want things to be ruined again.

She doesn't want things to end up the way they have with Sharpay.

So, she just smiles back, a little hesitantly and a little fearfully.

"Is this okay?" he mumbles, his voice a little husky, and Gabriella can't help but feel a warmth spread through her.

It's so simple, his question of consent, but it makes her feel a lot more comfortable than she would otherwise.

She nods, slowly, but then his eyes flick to her lips and she feels her heart constrict as her eyes widen in response.

Troy seems to sense her fear and her hesitance, for he quickly averts his gaze and returns his attention the movie, and Gabriella lets out a sigh of relief as she turns back to the screen, too.

They stay like that for a while, close but not too close, and Gabriella feels content.

For the first time, she doesn't feel as scared of this proximity anymore.

So, when he places his arm around her shoulder, she doesn't pull away. Instead, she snuggles closer to him, feeling warm and content as she meets his eyes and they share a smile.

It feels good to let down her guard and let him in.

It feels like the correct decision, the right thing to do.

* * *

Now that she is becoming so much closer to Troy, Gabriella feels the sunshine in her life slowly return. Of course, she still worries about the musical, and she still hurts over Sharpay, but it doesn't feel as bad anymore.

She feels happy with him. She feels happy being on the rooftop with him for what feels like hours after school, and she feels happy right now as they walk through the vacated hallways to leave school, his arm slung casually over her shoulder.

However, the happiness quickly crashes as she suddenly sees another figure in the corridor, an unmistakable flash of pink.

And when her eyes meet a pair of cold, hazelnut eyes, she feels an eerie chill run through her as those eyes flash with hurt.

She should just go on with her life and ignore Sharpay, like she's been doing a lot lately, but something in her wants to talk to Sharpay right now. While she's in Troy's arms.

"Hey, Sharpay."

They hesitantly come to a stop in front of each other and Sharpay raises her eyebrows as Gabriella bites her lip, unsure what to say, unsure of what she wants to say.

The only thing she knows is that she wants Sharpay to know that her feelings aren't any less real, even with this blossoming relationship with Troy.

But she can't say that. It would freak both Sharpay and Troy out, and it would drive them away.

"What are you doing at school so late?" she asks instead, and Sharpay shrugs casually in response as she lifts her hand to inspect her nails.

"I was just rehearsing by myself, so this show doesn't turn into a trainwreck," she answers, and Gabriella doesn't miss the venom in her tone, telling her that she should rehearse more as well, but she can't help but smile as she remembers that time she first saw Sharpay's private rehearsals.

They were rivals back then, but somehow, things were much easier.

"And what were you two lovebirds doing here?" Sharpay continues, emphasizing the word lovebirds with a bitter resentment and another emotion that makes surprises Gabriella and makes her heart pound.

Is Sharpay… jealous? No, that can't be. It shouldn't be. It would make things more difficult than they already are.

"We're not lovebirds," Troy answers quickly, looking at Gabriella for confirmation, and Gabriella smiles gratefully in response.

She may be happy to be opening herself up to him, but they're still moving slowly.

Sharpay doesn't seem to believe them, though, rolling her eyes and scoffing.

Gabriella quickly adds, "We were just on the r– in the gym! He's helping with free throws!"

Troy quickly nods in response, and Sharpay narrows her eyes at Gabriella for a second, before nodding. Then, she quickly checks her bedazzled watch and shoots them another phony smile.

"Well, it's late, I have to be on my way," she says, before waving. "Nice talking to you! Toodles!"

Then, she pushes Troy and Gabriella apart to move between them and storms off, both of them watching after her.

When their eyes meet again, Gabriella shrugs, hoping that Troy won't inquire about her relationship with Sharpay.

Thankfully, he doesn't, but she doesn't feel as happy anymore as they start walking down the corridor again.

She can't shake the hurt in Sharpay's eyes when she saw them.

She thought that being with Troy would make her happy, but it turns out that it only makes things worse between her and Sharpay.

She won't ever truly be happy, not as long as Sharpay is on her mind.

* * *

 **A/N: Alright, I know it seems like Gabriella is choosing Troy, but I promise this is still a Gabpay fic…**

 **Anyways, as always, please leave kudos and/or comments, they make me _so_ happy!**


	11. Chapter 11

While the musical has caused Gabriella a lot of pain and misery, it has also given her so many beautiful things that she could have never imagined.

It has given her freedom, a sense of purpose, a confidence boost and so much more.

But most of all, it has given her new friends that she wouldn't trade for the world.

Of course, two of her new friends aren't really talking to her right now – Gabriella's issues might regard Sharpay, but Ryan seems afraid to speak to her as well –, but she still has Kelsi.

Talented, kind Kelsi.

When she thinks of Kelsi and how far they've both come since they met – both in finding themselves and gaining the confidence to stand for what they believe in –, she feels so incredibly proud.

It's also a reminder that she's not doing this for naught. There's a purpose bigger than herself in remaining in the musical – being brave for Troy, standing up for Kelsi, learning to put herself out there – and it makes her feel all the more guilty about the fact that she's began to seriously consider quitting.

It's been a thought in the back of her mind for a while, ever since _it_ happened, but now that she's begun to realize that the only way to get over this is to cut Sharpay out of her life completely, it's been starting to become a more likely and reasonable solution to her problems.

She doesn't think she will go through with it as long as the stakes are so high, but she also doesn't think she can handle those stakes anymore.

She really hates that she would have to let Kelsi down, though, because Kelsi has been such a great friend to her and it makes her happy to see Kelsi so excited and full of life, so different from the terrified girl she met a few months ago.

Sitting besides Kelsi at the piano as they rehearse together, Gabriella can't stop imagining how disappointed Kelsi would be if she would quit.

She can't shake the idea anymore, though. She can't shake the urge to run away from it all and never look back.

"You know, we miss you at lunch," Kelsi says as she softly plays a melody on the piano and Gabriella closes her eyes briefly with pain.

"I miss you guys, too," she answers honestly, looking down at her lap and fiddling with her hands. "I'm pretty sure you're the only who misses me, though."

Kelsi smiles sadly. "Ryan misses you, too. He's just… a little scared of his sister."

Gabriella lets out a hollow laugh. "Yeah, I figured."

Then, she purses her lips as a thought suddenly springs to mind.

Sharpay has been more ruthless and cold than ever lately and it's obvious that her anger hasn't been solely directed at Gabriella, but also on other drama club members, probably including Kelsi and Ryan.

From what Gabriella has gathered of the dynamic between the twins, Ryan doesn't seem that bothered by Sharpay's antics in general, but if even he is scared… That means that Kelsi might be in trouble too.

Guilt seeps in again. By quitting the show, even by not hanging out with Kelsi whenever Sharpay is near anymore, she might be leaving Kelsi to the wolves.

Of course, she knows rationally that it's not her responsibility to care for Kelsi, but it still makes her feel incredibly uncomfortable.

It is Gabriella's fault that Sharpay is like this. It is Gabriella's fault that she got carried away and freaked Sharpay out. It is Gabriella's fault that this is happening.

"Hey, is Sharpay being awful to you?" she asks when they're sitting in the music room to rehearse – and spend some time together –, and she feels her stomach drop when Kelsi's gentle smile falls into a deep frown as she shrugs casually.

"It could be worse. I think she's just in a bad mood generally, but she's not specifically aiming any bad behaviour at me."

Gabriella nods slowly, but it doesn't set her mind at ease. Sharpay's behaviour aimed at Kelsi never has seemed intentional, but that doesn't make it any less cruel.

"It's all my fault," she sighs desperately and Kelsi immediately stops playing as she moves her gaze from the sheet music to Gabriella.

"I'm sure it isn't," she says, encouragingly, but Gabriella can hear it in her voice that Kelsi isn't convinced.

Kelsi isn't a fool. Anyone could see that this behaviour is directly caused by Gabriella, even if they don't know the details of what happened between them.

So, she merely sends Kelsi a pointed look. "It is."

Kelsi smiles pitifully in response, before her face morphs into a more serious, thoughtful expression as she stares at Gabriella for a moment. Tentatively, then, she asks, "What happened between you two anyway?"

Gabriella freezes. She should have expected this question, especially after she didn't try to hide that she knew that Sharpay's behaviour was because of her. But she has no answer. At least, she has no answer that would be satisfactory, that wouldn't reveal too much, that wouldn't be too humiliating.

She's not sure Kelsi would be understanding, with her own tumultuous past with Sharpay. She is sure, however, that Kelsi isn't the judgmental kind and that she wouldn't be too harsh on her or go around and tell Sharpay that Gabriella thinks she might have feelings for her.

That makes it a little tempting to just pour out her heart to Kelsi, but it's still too daunting. As soon as it's out there, it's out there, and that terrifies Gabriella.

The truth is still terrifying and even though Gabriella has come to terms with it, she still wants to do nothing more than to run away, to pretend none of this ever happened.

That's impossible, though, but she can still keep it to herself.

So, she just shakes her head and says, "It doesn't matter."

Looking at Kelsi, she can see the curiosity in her eyes, but Kelsi thankfully doesn't press any further.

Gabriella bites her lip and sighs as she continues, "All I know that it's so complicated that I sometimes feel like it may actually be better if I quit."

This makes Kelsi's eyes widen in horror. "But you're not seriously considering quitting, right?"

The tone of Kelsi's voice is desperate and it makes Gabriella feel guilty as she begrudgingly admits, "Maybe."

Kelsi shakes her head furiously as she takes Gabriella's hands in hers. "Please don't. Don't let her get under your skin and win."

As Gabriella quirks an eyebrow in response – if anyone has let Sharpay get under their skin in the past, it's Kelsi –, Kelsi rolls her eyes with a small smile. "I know, that's a bit hypocrite of me to say that, but it's true. You helped me stand my ground against her, and you need to do that as well."

 _Easier said than done_ , Gabriella thinks. Her problem isn't that she can't stand her ground, it's that she can't stand to be around Sharpay after what happened.

Her problem is not due to Sharpay's bad behaviour, but rather due to her own emotions.

"I'm not actually going to quit," she assures Kelsi. "It may be hard right now, but I'm not going to give up."

On the musical, at least. Sharpay and whatever relationship they might have and could have may be a different case entirely.

Kelsi smiles relieved in response, before the thoughtful expression returns. "You know, if you ever need any help with her, or just to talk…"

Gabriella giggles, not oblivious to Kelsi's curiosity, and shakes her head. "This is something I have to figure out by myself, but thanks for offering."

Kelsi smiles. "I'm here for you if you need me, okay?"

Gabriella returns the smile, feeling warm and content and grateful. "I know. Thank you. And likewise."

And that's the end of that, for Kelsi nods at her, before returning back to the piano. "Well, should we take it from the top?"

As they focus their attention on the music again, Gabriella can't help but notice the glances Kelsi keeps shooting her and she tries to ignore them.

She understand Kelsi's curiosity, and she's grateful for her extended support, but she meant what she said.

This is her problem, her issue to figure out.

* * *

Private rehearsals keep Sharpay's mind off things. It makes her feel a little calmer, a little more at ease, so she's grateful when she finds a note from Ryan in her locker asking her to come to the auditorium to rehearse with him.

She thinks she truly may have the best brother in the world.

However, that thought quickly vanishes when she arrives in the auditorium, and doesn't find Ryan there.

Instead, she's met with the sight of Gabriella, looking just as confused and freaked out as she is.

"What are you doing here?!" Sharpay snaps. "Ryan and I need the space to rehearse."

Gabriella's eyebrows furrow in confusion as she peers down at a piece of paper in her hand. "Kelsi actually asked to meet me here for rehearsal too."

Their eyes lock again, a flutter running through Sharpay's stomach, before realization dawns on both of them.

Ryan is not the best brother in the world – instead, he is quite possibly the _worst_ one.

Sharpay feels her face grow a fiery shade of red with rage as she stomps her foot in place. She should have known. After all, Ryan has learned to scheme directly from her. And she has always known that Kelsi isn't as innocent and helpless as she seems.

Those two little assholes set her and Gabriella up.

Sharpay is furious. Whatever is going between her and Gabriella is none of their concern. If she doesn't want to be near Gabriella, she will not be near Gabriella. She's not going to let anyone else force her to make up and pretend that everything is a-okay.

She can't do that, because it would be a lie, and while she's lived enough lies in her life, this is one that she doesn't want to live.

"This is bullshit," she seethes. "I'm out of here."

Gabriella, who has been frozen in place since their mutual realization dawned, blinks, before nodding, too. "Yeah, I should go."

However, before either can move, however, two pairs of footsteps enter the auditorium. "You two are not going anywhere."

There's the assholes. Of course they would be there to oversee their plan, to witness this reconciliation that they have planned.

Well, it won't happen. She won't give in.

"What the hell?! Why did you bring us here?!" she screeches. as she crosses her arms over her chest, scowling at Ryan. He seems unaffected, however, coming towards her in determined strides as Kelsi trails behind him, looking a little apprehensive and a little scared.

She should be scared, alright. Sharpay is going to kill her and Ryan when all of this is over.

As Ryan and Kelsi stop in front of them, the former raises his eyebrows challengingly as he looks back and forth between Sharpay and Gabriella.

"You two obviously seem to have some issues and you need to solve it, because frankly, Kelsi and I are getting tired of it. And so is the rest of the drama club."

"Did you pass around a survey?" Sharpay retorts sarcastically, before pouting and rolling her eyes as Ryan sends her a warning glare.

Then, his face softens a little. "I know you have your pride, Shar, and I know you're scared, Gabriella, but this is affecting the musical. You need to get over yourselves and fix whatever is going on."

Out of the corner of her eye, Sharpay sees Gabriella sneak a contemplative yet panicked look at her, but she keeps staring straight ahead, glaring into Ryan's eyes.

This isn't a matter of pride. This is a matter of possible heartbreak and probable humiliation. This is a matter of not being able to deal with the reality that she might have feelings for Gabriella Montez.

"This is none of your business, Ryan," she hisses. "Whatever is going on between me and Gabriella is between me and her. And I refuse to be forced by you to do something that I frankly don't want to do."

Ryan rolls his eyes, before his face softens even more. He's smiling at her sympathetically, a little pained, which only further enrages her. "But don't you miss each other?"

Of course Ryan is trying to play on her emotions, but the worst part is that it might actually be working. Her heart aches sneaks a little glance at Gabriella, who is now looking at the ground forlornly.

Of course she misses Gabriella. That's the entire reason why they're in this mess.

"You can't miss someone when you barely know each other," she says coldly, trying to ignore the way Gabriella's close in hurt and how that makes her own heart clench.

Ryan sighs in exasperation. "Come on, Sharpay, you know that's not true."

Then, he turns to Gabriella and narrows his eyes on her thoughtfully. "I'm sorry. I had to do this. Kelsi told me what you told her. About the show."

Gabriella's eyes widen in horror, before she averts her gaze, tears in her eyes.

Kelsi sees it, too, and she frowns with apparent guilt. A little panicked, she rambles, "I'm sorry, Gabriella, I just wanted to fix this. I understand it if you hate me."

However, Gabriella shakes her head and smiles through her tears. "No, it's fine, I understand. I'm just a little… shocked."

A pit forms in Sharpay's stomach as she watches Gabriella so distraught and she suddenly feels a strange urge to defend her against whatever Kelsi did.

However, there's also a question burning on her mind.

"What did you tell Kelsi?"

Gabriella bites her lip as she continues staring at the ground. "I've thought about quitting the show."

Now it's Sharpay's turn to freeze in horror.

If this had happened a couple of months ago, Sharpay would have been exhilarated. It would be the solution to all of her problems, a way for things to get back to normal. She should feel that way now too. Gabriella was ahead of her – this would fix everything.

Yet she doesn't want Gabriella to leave. As freaked out as she is by all of this, she doesn't want to completely drive her away.

"Because of me?" she asks, her voice small and trembling, and she feels her knees wobble beneath her as Gabriella bites her lip and nods slowly.

Hating Gabriella is easier than loving her, but it turns out that knowing that Gabriella hates her is one of the worst and most painful feelings she has ever experienced.

Feeling herself begin to hyperventilate and the world start to spin, she shakes her head furiously.

"I can't do this."

She can't be here anymore. It's too painful. So, she runs.

Things between her and Gabriella have been irrevocably ruined now. And there is no one to talk to about it, there is no one who would understand. She needs to gather her thoughts. She needs to be alone.

Alone, alone, alone.

Alone is all she'll ever be.

* * *

As soon as Sharpay runs out, there's only one thing Gabriella can do.

Follow her.

She has seen the pain in Sharpay's eyes, the tremble in her voice, and she is befuddled.

All this time, she thought that Sharpay hated her because of what happened, but as it turns out, Sharpay is just freaked out. Just like her.

And now she probably thinks that Gabriella hates her, while it's actually quite the opposite.

As if their mess could get any bigger.

However, while Ryan and Kelsi grossly overstepped and should have never put them on the spot like that, she can't blame them. As misguided as they were, they were trying to help, and they _did_.

They convinced Gabriella that her relationship with Sharpay isn't entirely broken and it's worth fighting for after all.

So, as Ryan tries to call after Sharpay, Gabriella shakes her head and places a hand on his shoulder to stop him.

"I'll go after her."

The apprehensive look in Ryan's eyes tells her it's not going to be easy, but she has to do this.

Sharpay has to know that she doesn't hate her.

So, without waiting for his reply, she runs out of the theatre, in the direction that Sharpay came from.

She almost smiles when she finds her sitting just outside the theatre, just like that time when they finally made peace.

Hopefully, they can make peace now, too.

"Hi," she says carefully as she stops right in front of Sharpay and Sharpay looks up at her with angry yet pained eyes.

"What are you doing here?" she asks, just like before, and Gabriella offers her a small smile.

"I just wanted to see if you're okay," she responds and Sharpay lets out a hollow laugh through her tears as she raises her eyebrows.

"You want to see if _I_ am okay?" Sharpay says incredulously. "You're the one who was put on the spot to tell me something that you obviously didn't want me to know."

That's true, Gabriella reckons, and maybe she should be more upset at Ryan and Kelsi, but right now, she can't worry about that. Not when Sharpay is sitting there like a sad lump of misery. Not when she thinks Gabriella hates her.

"Besides," Sharpay continues, fiddling with her hand in her lap. "Don't you hate me?"

Gabriella shakes her head as she tentatively sits down beside her, making sure there's enough space between them not to freak out Sharpay too much.

"I don't hate you," she says softly, and Sharpay looks at her and scoffs disbelievingly.

"I've made your life miserable for the past few months. I nearly drove you to quit the show. I completely freaked you out that day at my house. And you're trying to tell me that you don't hate me?"

"I thought I freaked you out that day!"

Of course, Sharpay did freak her out, but it's not in the way that Sharpay seems to think. That moment that they shared, she thought that it was one-sided on her part, that it was her fault, but now it seems that it may been mutual.

That, of course, opens a possibility that Gabriella has pushed to the back of her mind, as she tries to suppress the thrill that runs through her body at that thought.

It wouldn't ever work out. She has Troy, who is right and safe for her, and the fact that she and Sharpay almost ruined themselves over one small moment should be enough evidence that they're not right for each other.

That doesn't cease the attraction that bubbles back towards the surface, though, as they stare at each other, both terrified, but also relieved.

"I mean, you did freak me out," Sharpay admits with a scoff as she averts her gaze. "But it was only because I thought I had freaked you out."

So, they're on the same page about that, then.

God, what a terrible misunderstanding this has been.

"So, can we put this behind us?" Gabriella asks, a hopeful thrill running down her spine as she anticipates Sharpay's reaction and a hopeful reconciliation.

However, Sharpay is not very quick to respond, instead pursing her lips as she stares ahead as if deep in thought, as if hesitant.

"We can forget it ever happened, just start with a clean slate," Gabriella adds quickly, in the hopes that this will make it convincing enough.

A flash of hurt flickers in Sharpay's eyes as she looks up to meet Gabriella's eyes again, and it makes Gabriella wonder, but she quickly forgets when Sharpay breaks out into a small, breathtaking smile.

"That would be great."

It's not ideal, Gabriella thinks, because she doesn't want to forget, especially now that she knows that it might have been mutual.

However, if it gives her Sharpay back, she'll gladly take it, and by all means, it makes her life a lot easier if she just puts this crush behind her.

Even if her heartbeat still picks up as she stares into those brown eyes.

"So, where do we go from here?" Sharpay pulls her from her thoughts, and Gabriella shrugs as she averts her gaze.

"Maybe we can hang out sometime, to catch up?" she offers, and Sharpay lights up at that, which makes Gabriella grin.

"Why not do it right now? Do you have any plans?"

This makes Gabriella's face fall. She already made plans to hang out with Troy after the rehearsal with Kelsi. As much as she wants to make up for lost time with Sharpay, she doesn't want to just cancel on him.

"I actually made plans with Troy," she mumbles, and Sharpay's eyes widen slightly as her mouth forms the shape of an 'o', but then she nods in understanding.

There's still a glint of suspicion in her eyes, though, as she says, "You guys are getting quite close, huh?"

Tucking a curl behind her ear bashfully, she nods. "But I would love to hang out with you some other time."

There's a hint of disappointment of Sharpay's eyes, but it quickly disappears as she nods firmly. "Fabulous."

They smile at each other for another moment, before Gabriella sighs. "We should probably get up. I'm pretty sure Ryan and Kelsi are eavesdropping."

Sharpay rolls her eyes in response. "I hope they know I'm about to commit a double homicide."

"I mean, didn't it all work out?" Gabriella offers with a shrug, and Sharpay shakes her head.

"They still had no right, and you know how good I am at holding grudges."

Giggling, Gabriella nods. That's true, she knows that from being the subject of one of Sharpay's grudges. They've finally moved past that now, though.

Thank god.

As she stops giggling, she stands up, ignoring Sharpay's responding whine before she offers her a hand.

Sharpay looks at it for a second, a little apprehensively, before smiling tightly as she puts her hand in Gabriella's and let her pull straight up.

A spark travels up Gabriella's arm as they keep their hands locked for a second too long, but she ignores it and they share another smile.

Then, Sharpay calls, "You can come out now!"

Gabriella bursts out in giggles as an embarrassed Ryan and Kelsi walk out of the auditorium, while Sharpay just rolls her eyes at them.

"So, is everything okay?" Kelsi asks, and Gabriella can't help but smile as she hears the slight guilt in her voice.

Sneaking a glance at Sharpay and grinning broadly, she nods. "Yeah, we're fine."

* * *

 **A/N: I LIVE for Ryan and Kelsi scheming to get people to reconcile, tbh. They definitely overstepped here, though, and I don't know if it's a really good reconciliation scene anyway, but I hope you enjoyed!**

 **Also, I know I have been updating this weekly, but I won't have time next week to update, so I'm skipping a week and I'll be back with the next chapter on the 13th! Three more to go and then this story is over!**

 **As always, please leave reviews to make me a very happy girl!**


	12. Chapter 12

"So, you and Sharpay have made up?"

Gabriella still hasn't told Troy about what had transpired between her and Sharpay that caused them to act so cold and awkward around each other, and he hasn't asked about it either, but it's no surprise that he can tell that all is right. Gabriella hasn't been able to wipe the huge grin off her face ever since she and Sharpay finally reconciled.

"Is it that obvious?" Gabriella asks, sounding a little amused, and Troy just shrugs as he smiles at her.

"You seem a lot happier. Happiness suits you," he says, and Gabriella blushes in response, tucking a hair behind her ear.

"Or you figured it out because you just know me well," she mumbles in reply.

Now it's Troy's turn to blush, as he averts his gaze. "I guess I do."

As hurtful as it was, Sharpay's comment that they barely know each other has stuck with her. She understands where Sharpay was coming from – it wasn't just her coldness, but it was also the fact that they really haven't known each other for long.

It terrifies her, that she's made such strong connections to multiple people – not only to Troy and Sharpay, but also to Ryan and Kelsi and Taylor – in such a short amount of time. Of course, these connections could only lead to heartbreak, but weirdly, that's not the part that scares her. The part that scares her is that she doesn't actually seem to care.

It's nice, to have people who are truly her friends – even Sharpay, despite their past complications – and whom she truly feels tethered to. It's like she has found her roots here, that she has finally found a place where she belongs.

Finally, she's not alone anymore.

And now that her problems with Sharpay are – partially – out of the way, she feels like she can start taking a leap.

While it is hurtful, she has finally made peace with the fact that her feelings for Sharpay aren't meant to lead anywhere, and that opens up new opportunities.

Opportunities with Troy, to be precise.

She has decided to go for it, to try to put herself out there and answer to his attempts to woo her.

It's a little contradictory, really, when she thinks about it how scared she has been of opening up herself emotionally. Ever since she came here, she has wanted to be herself and do things she hasn't done before, but apparently, that has only extended to certain hobbies.

She's still scared of truly showing herself to others and to open herself up to love in a way that she has never been able to.

Partially, that's the reason why Sharpay and she got wrapped up in this giant misunderstanding. Her fear – and of course Sharpay's as well – is the reason why everything went sour so quickly and so spectacularly.

She doesn't ever want something like that to happen again. She doesn't want fear to grab a hold of her and keep her from connecting to others. She doesn't want to prohibit herself of feeling the joys of true friendship and true love.

So, she scoots a little closer to Troy as they sit on the bench together, hoping that he will get the hint.

She's ready.

Of course, he absolutely understands what she's getting at, because his eyes light up immediately, a flash of sheer, gleeful joy in those brilliant blue eyes, as he slowly wraps his arm around her shoulder.

They have been in this position before, but somehow, it's different now. The first time, they were testing the waters, but now, it feels more serious, as if they're actually taking a step from which they can't return.

It still scares her a little, but she decides that she doesn't mind for now. For now, she just wants to live in the moment.

So, with a bashful smile, she softly leans her head to rest it upon his shoulder.

It feels comfortable. It feels safe.

They sit there for a while in a comfortable, just staring at the clear blue sky and the green mountains.

"You know, maybe I should thank Sharpay," Troy suddenly breaks the silence, and Gabriella raises her eyebrows as she lifts her head from his shoulder to look at him questioningly.

Troy just offers her a small smile in response. "I'm not sure what went down between you two, but you're so much more… lively all of a sudden. Not that you weren't lively before, but you just seem like you're in a much better place, you know?"

Gabriella grins in amusement at his rambling. "And that's because of Sharpay?"

"Well, yeah," Troy replies, as-a-matter-of-factly. "You're in much better spirits when you're not at odds."

This makes Gabriella think. Maybe it's true, actually. She does feel a little lighter when things between her and Sharpay aren't complicated.

She's known for a while that Sharpay has the potential to bring out the good in her, but it's not until now that she realizes how much that actually is.

She doesn't only challenge her to be better at theatre – even if her methods for doing so are questionable at times –, but she also teaches her to be more confident in her own skin.

She doesn't want to credit Sharpay for every good thing in her life – because a lot of it has come from within –, but Sharpay really has helped her grow in very strange ways.

A few months ago, she would have been horrified to know how much power Sharpay truly has over her – and a part of her still is frightened by the implications –, but it's good to know that this power isn't all bad.

It makes her happy to know that there's people out there who make her want to become better.

And it's not just Sharpay. It's Kelsi, too. And, of course, it's Troy.

Troy, who gave her the courage to overcome her stage fright. Troy, who has given her a safe place to drop her fears and facades. Troy, who is unwaveringly kind and patient as she deals with her inner demons.

He and Sharpay may have had a very different impact on her life, but she's so grateful to have both of them to encourage her to grow as a person, to truly blossom.

She's just so happy.

So, with a fond smile, she grabs his hand, watching as their fingers intertwine.

No words are necessary. She can see as she looks back up into his eyes that he knows how grateful she is for him, how he has become her best friend.

Of course, he's also become more than just her best friend, but his friendship is what truly matters to her.

His support is what matters.

* * *

When Gabriella and Troy finally decide to leave their cosy position of watching the view from the roof together, Gabriella feels on cloud nine. She feels like she could skip through the school, like she could melt into a puddle of goo at any time.

However, she's quickly brought back down to reality when three figures approach them.

Why do people always seem to run into them when they're at the rooftop after school ends?

This time, it's not Sharpay who rips her from her bubble, though. It's rather Troy's friends.

She knows all of them – the loud one with the afro, the tall guy with the sweet smile, the dimwitted kid who always asks about Ms. Darbus's personal life –, but she has never talked to them before.

And, surprisingly, they have never acknowledged her existence either, even after Sharpay directly lamented about her getting a role in the musical to them. Oh, how different those times were.

So, when Troy's friends seem to recognize them, she feels a pit in her stomach. She's sure Troy has picked good guys to surround him, but she also knows about the pressure his basketball buddies put on him to walk inside the lines, so she's apprehensive.

And Troy is, too, it seems, for she notices him tense besides her as he puts on a sheepish smile and waves at them.

"What are you doing here?" the loud one with the afro asks, staring at Troy suspiciously. "You said you had to go straight home after school ended."

Troy's hand immediately flies up to his neck as he chuckles nervously. "I uh… I forgot my letterman jacket!"

With a forced smile, he pulls on the bottom of his jacket, and Gabriella mirrors his forced grin as she nods vigorously.

Troy's friend quirks his eyebrow at Troy, before his gaze moves to Gabriella. His gaze makes Gabriella feel a little tense, much the same way that Sharpay had made her feel uncomfortable the first day they met.

If that's any indication, this boy's scrutiny of her can't be any good.

He gives her an once-over, before refocusing his attention on Troy. "And why are you with–"

"Gabriella," she supplies impulsively, and the boy nods at her politely.

"Gabriella," he repeats, his tone neutral, before he turns back to Troy. "Aren't you going to introduce us to your new friend?"

"Oh, right," Troy says awkwardly as he gestures to Gabriella. "This is Gabriella. Gabriella, this is Chad, Zeke, and Jason."

"Wait, aren't you that girl who auditioned for the musical and got Sharpay Evans' panties in a twist?" Chad asks, his eyes lighting up with recognition, and Gabriella can feel Troy's worried eyes on her when she looks down at the ground awkwardly and nods.

"Yeah, that was me."

"That's so cool!" Zeke exclaims, grinning widely. "Sharpay is so beautiful. Is she as awesome as she seems to be?"

This makes Gabriella look back up as she musters a small smile. She likes Zeke and his energy. His enthusiasm makes her feel slightly less uncomfortable.

"She's… intense," she offers, before giggling as Zeke sighs wistfully in response.

Apparently, she's not the only person with a crush on Sharpay.

"So, how do you two know each other?" Jason asks, and with that, the brief moment of relief brought on by Zeke's crush is over.

Troy scratches his neck furiously as he stammers, "We just… We…"

Suddenly, Gabriella remembers how weirdly embarrassed Troy is of the singing, so she fills in for him, "I got lost on my first day here and he offered to show me around."

It's not entirely a lie either. He did offer to show her around, but for a different reason.

Troy smiles gratefully as he points to Gabriella and nods furiously.

"And I guess you hit it off," Chad says, crossing his arms over his chest as he glares at his friend suspiciously. "Is this why you have been blowing off time to hang with us and why you have been acting weird at practice? Because of her? I knew your head wasn't in the game, Bolton."

"She's just a girl, man…" Troy starts, but Chad shakes his head stop him.

"Look, I don't actually really care that you made a new friend, but why the sneaking around?"

"Yeah, it's weird," Jason agrees. "I mean, it's not like you're doing that crappy musical with her, right?"

This makes Troy freeze, and Gabriella's eyes widen. Carefully, she watches his response, only to find out there's none, as he stays frozen in shock.

"Right?" Zeke repeats, and then Troy blinks.

"Yeah, no, I'm not getting involved in something that lame," he says, chuckling along with his friends, before turning to Gabriella and smiling sheepishly. "No offence."

She actually does take offence. She is disappointed in him. She understands that his friends can be a little intense, but that's no excuse to act like his interests are lame, like _she_ is lame for sharing that with him.

All this time, she has spent feeling safe and comfortable around him, and now she doesn't anymore.

However, in the interest of not making a smile, she just smiles tensely. "None taken."

Troy can obviously see that she has taken offence, as he frowns at her apologetically. She just shakes her head and turns back to the boys.

"Well, I have to go. Nice meeting you," she says tersely, before turning around to leave. However, Troy grabs her hand before she can.

She raises her eyebrows at him, but he doesn't respond, instead turning to his friends.

"I'll catch up with you in a minute," he says tensely, and his friends, all looking confused, just nod and leave.

"Sorry," is the first thing he says when they're out of earshot. He's rubbing his neck again and his eyebrows are narrowed in a deep frown as Gabriella sighs.

"Look, I'm probably overreacting, but that wasn't cool," she says. "I get that you're scared of what they may think, but this made it seem like you're also scared of me."

"You're scared of me, too," he murmurs in response, and Gabriella sighs again.

"Yeah, that's true, and I told you I'm really sorry for that, but at least I didn't call you lame in front of my friends."

"I know," he mumbles.

Gabriella offers him a small smile as she shrugs. "The reason I was scared was because I didn't want to get hurt. And now you hurt me. And I know you didn't mean it, and I know you're sorry, but I don't think I can do this right now."

"Gabriella…" he starts, and she shakes her head as she grabs his hand again and squeezes.

"We keep getting held back by our fears and that isn't good or fair on either of us. Maybe it will work in the future, when we're both comfortable with who we truly are, but I don't think I'm ready for now after all," she says, tears threatening to form in her eyes as she looks down at the ground. "I'm sorry."

Then, she drops her hand and walks away, the tears starting fall down her face as she takes a deep breath, ignoring his calls of her name after her.

She really can't have it all. Just when things are starting to look up with Sharpay, her fears of Troy and general commitment grab hold of her again.

She hates that she can't be as brave as she wants to be, especially when she has spent so much time convincing herself that Troy is right for her, but something feels off.

Maybe it's her lingering feelings for Sharpay, maybe it's his embarrassment of being seen with her, maybe it's her own completely irrational fear.

But she can't do it. She can't commit.

Not unless she's one hundred percent sure. And, as it turns out, she isn't sure.

Maybe she will never be sure of anyone, but it's the right thing to do to walk away. She has spent all this time protecting her authenticity, but she also has to protect her heart.

And if that means not taking the plunge with Troy, then so be it.

* * *

It's weird to have Sharpay over at her house again, after everything that has happened, but it's a pleasant kind of weird.

It's nice to get along again as Gabriella sits on the back and does her homework, while Sharpay paces around the room with thoughtfully, thinking of ways to improve the musical and simultaneously inventing ways to kill Troy Bolton.

Sharpay's presence could have been a welcome distraction from her woes with Troy, but for some reason, she just completely blabbed it out without thinking the minute Sharpay stepped foot in her house.

Apparently, Sharpay is her confidante now while Troy is her concern. The roles have been completely reversed.

"I can't believe he called you lame," Sharpay seethes as she paces around the room angrily.

"Technically, he didn't call me lame, he called the musical lame," Gabriella offers as she fiddles with the pencil in her hand. "Besides, you have called me worse."

Sharpay has the decency to blush slightly at that as she rolls her eyes. "That's true, because that was because I admired you and I didn't want to admit to myself. Bolton obviously really thinks you're lame."

Except Gabriella doesn't think he does. Of course, Sharpay doesn't know him that well, and she doesn't know about New Year's Eve, but Gabriella knows him better than this. He was just overcome with fear the same way she and Sharpay constantly are.

However, that doesn't mean it didn't hurt her or make her realize that Troy is just as wrong for her as Sharpay is. She just wishes that their fears weren't constantly holding them back.

Moreover, she wishes she wouldn't have to lose her friends because of being afraid.

"Maybe I should lead him into a dark cave and then scare the living daylights out of him," Sharpay muses, and Gabriella raises her eyebrows as she looks up from her lap.

"You're surely something," she says, both amused and disturbed, and Sharpay just smiles and shrugs casually.

"As are you."

Gabriella smiles back, feeling that familiar flutter in her stomach as they stay in contact a little too long, before the moment is ruined as the bell rings downstairs.

"I'll be back," she says to Sharpay as she runs out of the room, down the stairs before stopping midway as she sees her mother talking to Troy.

He's here. Why is he here?

She hears someone scoff disbelievingly, and rolls her eyes as she finds Sharpay just behind her.

As Gabriella's mother looks to her questioningly, both she and Sharpay shake their heads furiously. Her mother gets the hint, quickly telling him that Gabriella is busy, which he seems to buy.

With a sigh of relief as the door closes, Gabriella follows Sharpay back upstairs.

"That boy has some nerve!" Sharpay seethes as they return to her room and Gabriella smiles as she nods.

He probably just wanted to talk, though, she thinks. And she would speak to him, but she just doesn't want to have to reject him again. It hurt enough the first time around.

Suddenly, her phone rings. And as Gabriella picks it up, her eyes widen. It's Troy.

He's really not backing down.

"Don't answer that," Sharpay says sternly as she peers at the screen, but Gabriella bites her lip.

Maybe she should talk to him. Clear the air so they don't end on such a sour note.

So, ignoring Sharpay's sounds of protest, she flips open the phone. "Hello?"

"You were right, I was a coward," Troy immediately says. "I was trying to so hard to appease my friends that I hurt you and that was wrong of me. I'm so sorry."

"I didn't say you were a coward, Troy," Gabriella replies softly.

She smiles and rolls her eyes as Sharpay mouths to her, "But I did."

"I was, though," Troy's voice floats into her ear and Gabriella purses her lips as she nods.

"Yeah, you were."

"And I totally understand if you hate me, but I would really like to make things right," he continues, and Gabriella's eyebrows furrow as he suddenly sounds out of breath. "Let's talk in person."

Before she can answer, she blinks alarmed as Sharpay suddenly lets out a scream and points to her balcony door. Her eyes widening, Gabriella walks towards it to find Troy standing there.

"Did you climb the tree?" she says, bemused, as she removes the phone from her ear and flips it closed.

Troy does the same and rubs his neck as he nods slowly. "I didn't want to do this over the phone."

"Jesus, Bolton, you frightened me. That's not romantic, that's creepy!" Sharpay pipes up, sounding simultaneously frightened and livid.

Gabriella turns back to her as she steps towards the door to stand besides her, crossing her arms as she glares at Troy furiously.

"Sharpay, hi," Troy states awkwardly as he casts his eyes downwards.

"Don't _hi_ me, Bolton. First you call her lame to her face and now you invade her home? What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"I just wanted to apologize," Troy says meekly as he continues staring at the ground, and Gabriella bites her lip in response.

She feels bad for him. With his shoulders low and his eyes cast downward as he fidgets, he really does seem remorseful. And frightened of Sharpay.

Sharpay obviously doesn't seem to be impressed, though, continuing to scowl at him as she exclaims, "Damn right you should! Gabriella is beautiful and amazing and talented and you should be ashamed of yourself for being embarrassed of her!"

Gabriella feels a small smile grow on her face as Sharpay looks to her and softens a little. As she wraps her arm around her shoulder, Sharpay softly continues, "Anyone would be lucky to have her."

This is what Gabriella need this afternoon. Someone who stands up for her, who tells her she's amazing when other people are tearing her or her interests down.

She always thought that person would be Troy, but in a strange turn of events, it's actually Sharpay.

Sharpay, who is dangerous and challenging, is now the one who is supporting her.

Feeling a thrill ignite inside her, she blushes as she stares straight into Sharpay's eyes, getting lost in them.

"I thought you hated her," Troy mumbles and both girls blink as they turn back to him.

Sharpay looks a little embarrassed, before shrugging. "Because I felt threatened by how amazing she is. Not because she was lame."

Then, she releases Gabriella's shoulder and steps towards him threateningly. "So if you say she's lame one more time, I will tear you up from limb to–"

"Okay!" Gabriella exclaims, pulling Sharpay back from Troy, who is pale with shock. "That's enough! Maybe Troy and I should talk this out alone."

"You're going to talk to him?! Gabriella! I was just trying to get you of this mess!" Sharpay exclaims.

"I know, but I think I'd rather just talk this out than lose a friend again," Gabriella says as she turns to Troy and smiles, which he returns.

Sharpay looks back and forth between them, before sighing. "Fine! It's your choice. I'm not going to stick around for this, though."

Both Gabriella and Troy watch awkwardly, glancing at each other every now and then as Sharpay scurries around the room to grab her stuff.

"I'm seeing myself out," she says as she is done, before waving. "Toodles!"

"Sharpay?" Gabriella calls after her as Sharpay's hand is on the doorknob and the blonde turns around to face her with arched eyebrows.

"Thanks," she says softly, and Sharpay merely nods and smiles before leaving the room and closing the door behind her.

Then, Gabriella turns back to Troy anticipatorily as he puts his hands in his pockets awkwardly as he looks down at the floor. "So…"

Troy shakes his head before looking back up at her. "Sharpay is right. You are amazing and I should have stood up for you this afternoon."

"Yeah, you should have," she answers softly, and Troy offers her a hopeless smile.

"I just get so scared sometimes," he explains. "It's obviously not an excuse, but it's the truth."

"I get scared, too, though," Gabriella offers in return. "That's why I was so quick to walk away."

With a sigh, she takes Troy's hand in hers again. "I don't think we can be together, though. I meant what I said. We both need to grow. I'm not ready."

Pursing his lips, he looks down at the ground for a second, before his striking blue eyes, tentatively hopeful, meet her brown ones again.

"But can we be friends?"

Gabriella's face breaks out into a small smile. "I would love that. I also meant what I said to Sharpay just now. I don't want to lose my friend."

At that, Troy's face blossoms into a grin, brilliant and hopeful. "Okay. Friends."

Then, he shakes her hand, and Gabriella repeats, "Friends."

As he releases his hand, he sighs. "I'm sure Sharpay is going to kill me, though."

Gabriella giggles. "No, she won't. She's all bark and no bite."

Troy raises his eyebrows, obviously not believing her. "Sure."

Then, he looks at his watch and sighs. "I actually should go, too. I promised my dad I would play some ball with him."

Gabriella giggles at the displeasure in his voice. "Have fun with that."

"Thanks," he chuckles, before making his way back to the balcony, Gabriella following him.

"Hug?" he asks, opening his arms and Gabriella smiles and nods as she steps into his embrace.

It's still warm and safe and cozy, but there's something different now. It still feels right, but she doesn't feel the same thrill anymore.

"Don't fall," she says softly as they release each other, before biting her lip as she realizes the double meaning.

Troy seems to think of the double meaning, too, smiling sadly as he nods. "I won't."

And as she watches him climb back down the tree, they share one last smile.

Maybe she's not ready to fall in love with him, but at least she has him back.

At least he's right back where he belongs, back as her friend.

* * *

 **A/N: Okay, I feel like I need to explain this one a bit. I love Troy Bolton and it was very important to me that I didn't write him as an asshole – which he isn't – just to have an excuse for Gabriella to choose Sharpay. But the thing that I wanted to do here, was to show that Troy is not right for Gabriella in this universe. Because Troy didn't audition for the musical, he hasn't gone through the same character development that he goes through in canon, while Gabriella** _ **has**_ **grown (but also obviously not entirely, because her major character flaw of running away when things get hard is very clearly on display here, lol). I've also made a conscious effort to set up Troy as her safe option, and to show that Gabriella wants something more challenging than that, which also plays a large role in her decision not to be with Troy. I hope that makes sense. I really felt like I needed to explain that, because both Troy and Troyella are very important to me and I didn't want anyone to misinterpret my portrayal of him and them.**

 **As always, please leave reviews. Thanks!**


	13. Chapter 13

Sharpay is tired.

She didn't sleep a wink last night, and she has not stopped worrying since she left Gabriella's house.

She didn't know how to feel about Troy and Gabriella's woes when she heard of them – part of her was thrilled that Troy wouldn't get the girl, but another part of her was mad at him and for her.

But now, she just feels worried and heartbroken. She has accepted a long time ago that she and Gabriella wouldn't get together, but she can't stand to see her be so happy with Troy. She wants that.

And while Gabriella seemed sure of it that she wouldn't be with him anymore, Sharpay has seen the hurt in both pairs of eyes and the little smile they shared.

They probably got together for real. They probably kissed, maybe even more.

God, he doesn't deserve Gabriella! It should be Sharpay instead of him!

And it's killing her that she doesn't know what happened.

So, when she sees Gabriella at her locker, alone but with a large smile on her face, she can't hold it in and she walks towards her with menacing strides.

"What happened?!"

Gabriella giggles as she retrieves a book from her locker and closes it before turning to Sharpay. "Good morning to you, too."

"Cut the crap," Sharpay responds curtly but not unkindly. "Are you two together now?"

She sounds a little desperate and she hates it, but she needs to know. She needs to be prepared when she sees them holding hands or kissing or showing any other kind of public affection.

Gabriella's face, however, falls at Sharpay's words, and she stares at her thoughtfully for a moment, as if trying to figure something out, before she shakes her head. "No, we decided it would be best if we stayed friends for now."

Now it's Sharpay's turn to stare thoughtfully at Gabriella, while she raises her eyebrows in surprise.

She was so sure that Troy and Gabriella would end up together after last night. It was pretty much set in stone. She's thrilled that they didn't, but it makes no sense.

"Really?" she asks as she raises an eyebrow. "You two have been dancing around each other for ages. I can't count the times I've run into you two together. Hell, I walked in on you two confessing your feelings for each other."

"And that was a mistake," Gabriella says, shrugging as Sharpay sends her an incredulous look. "I mean, I would be lying if I said there weren't any feelings, but I'm just not sure what exactly it all means. And we both obviously have some things to overcome, so it's for the best that we stay just friends."

Sharpay can understand that. Really, it would the same with her and Gabriella, she thinks, if Gabriella were even to return her feelings. They both have issues, fears to work through, and Sharpay still isn't sure how to make of this crush.

All she knows is that she can't ignore the flutter caused by the smile blossoming on Gabriella's face.

"Besides," she continues, "Troy is important to me. I don't want to lose him and his friendship."

Yet another reason why Sharpay and Gabriella wouldn't end up together either. They've lost each other before, and it would be horrible to have to go through all of that again.

So, Sharpay nods in understanding, before her lips curl into a smirk. "You know, I think you're the first person to ever reject Troy Bolton. I hope he took it well."

Gabriella's smile turns upside down into a frown at this, but then her eyes light up again as she looks at something – or rather, someone – behind Sharpay.

Curiously, Sharpay turns around to find Troy walking towards them, waving happily at Gabriella.

"Hey, Gabriella!"

Gabriella beams as she waves back, and Troy returns her smile, before noticing Sharpay and suddenly growing pale.

Amused, Sharpay raises her eyebrows at him and smirks as she waves, and with a nervous chuckle, he waves back before quickly hurrying off.

"He seems fine to me," Gabriella comments, before shaking her head in amusement and giggling as Sharpay turns back to her. "He seems to be permanently scarred by you, though."

"Good," Sharpay responds curtly, and Gabriella giggles again, before suddenly turning serious.

"Hey, I'm sorry that you felt like you had to leave last night," she says softly, fidgeting a little. "I'd like to make it up to you."

There's a twinkle in her eye and Sharpay feels a flutter in her chest, but she suppresses it with a smile and a shake of her head.

"Oh, no, don't worry–" Sharpay starts, but Gabriella shakes her head to stop her.

"I'm also really grateful that you stood up for me, and I want to spend time with you, so please?"

Sharpay feels a slight flutter in her stomach at hearing Gabriella wants to spend time with her, but she quickly shakes it off, as she crosses her arms over her chest. "What did you have in mind?"

"Maybe we could catch a movie tonight?" Gabriella suggests and Sharpay purses her lips in response as she considers this.

Somehow, she thinks that they probably won't agree about which movie to go to, but it does sound fun and she does want to spend time with Gabriella, too.

So, with a smile, she nods. "That would be fabulous. I can pick you up in my car. Is 7 pm okay?"

Gabriella returns the grin, practically bouncing in place. "Great!"

Then, the bell rings and Gabriella sighs. "Well, I guess I'd better go to class. See you at rehearsals?"

Sharpay almost wants to remind her that they are in the same homeroom, but there's something rather adorable about the way she scurries off.

Therefore, she just watches Gabriella's retreating back with a smile.

She knows that Gabriella will never be hers, Troy or not, but that doesn't mean she can't feel fond of her from afar.

That doesn't mean that she can't feel jitters at the thought of going to a movie with her.

That doesn't mean that her feelings are going to dissipate any time soon.

* * *

All Gabriella has been able to think about today is the fact that she practically asked Sharpay out this morning.

Of course, going to a movie is something that friends do, and she doubts that Sharpay will see it as a date. However, there is just something about the way Sharpay smiled at her, something about the way she herself was a little too eager to hang out with her, that makes Gabriella feel nervous about it all.

She has been so nervous that she has completely forgotten about Troy and what happened last night.

It's probably also because both she and Troy have acted like nothing is wrong, to the point that it feels like nothing has gone down between them, but when she is walking down the hallway later that day and sees his friends coming towards her, she suddenly feels a pit form in the bottom of her stomach. Especially when Chad's eyes lock with hers and he starts walking a little faster towards her, determination in his large strides.

Are they here to tell her off, that she shouldn't be Troy's friends, that she's a bad influence? Do they know what happened between her and Troy after they met yesterday?

There's so many possible terrifying scenarios that pop up in her mind. Therefore, when they stop in front of her, she braces herself for the worst, staring at the ground a little forlornly.

However, it doesn't come.

Instead, Chad smiles at her in a rather friendly manner, before simply saying, "We're sorry."

Looking back up, Gabriella furrows her eyebrows as she looks back and forth between the three boys, all of them smiling at her earnestly.

She didn't expect that.

"Well… I– Thank you?"

"I shouldn't have made fun of the musical in front of you. That wasn't cool," Jason elaborates as he probably notices the shock on Gabriella's face, and both Chad and Zeke nod in response.

"And we're sorry for laughing along with him," Chad says, as his expression turns to something akin to embarrassment. "I guess we were a little too quick to judge."

That seems to be a theme around here, Gabriella reckons. She and Sharpay completely misjudged each other, Troy can't do what he really wants because he fears that he will be judged and his friends were too quick to jump to judgment about her as well.

Things would be a lot easier if everyone let go of their prejudice.

"You seem like a really great girl," Zeke offers. "At least, you must be if Troy likes you so much. And you're friends with Sharpay too!"

Gabriella blushes and giggles at Zeke's excitement, which makes all three boys smile in response, too.

"And, you know, if Troy had interest in the musical, we should be boosting him up, not tearing him down," Jason continues with a shrug, making Gabriella narrow her eyes at him thoughtfully for a moment.

He obviously hasn't told them about his own interest in singing, and that's fine - he should do it on his own terms. But she hopes that they have told this to him, too, so that he will be reassured that he won't be judged as harshly as he fears, so he can finally take that step towards freedom.

He deserves that. And she's glad that they would give him that chance after all.

So, she nods and smiles at them politely. "Thanks for saying that."

Then, Chad suddenly starts smirking, a mischievous glint in his eye as he takes a step closer to Gabriella, whose eyes widen a little in response.

What is he up to?

Then, to her surprise, he suddenly throws an arm around her shoulder amicably and drags her along with him as they start walking, Zeke and Jason trailing behind them.

"So, now we're all cool, I need to get to know you. You know, figure out if you're good enough for my boy Troy."

"Oh, we're not– We're just friends," she responds awkwardly, and Chad scoffs in response.

"I might not know you very well, but Troy and I have been best friends since pre-school and I've never seen him this hung up over a girl. You got a hold of him. You have no idea how upset he was yesterday after we upset you. He really told us off."

Gabriella blinks and stares ahead thoughtfully. Apparently, he wasn't as afraid as she thought he was. She wonders why he didn't tell her that he told off his friends in order to try to get her to take him back.

Either way, it doesn't matter. She stands by her decision to stay friends with him. However, that doesn't make it any easier that Troy's feelings apparently run deep.

She doesn't want to hurt herself, but she doesn't want to hurt him either.

Therefore, in an attempt of denial, she shakes her head. "No, we're really just friends. He probably would have been just as upset if I had offended you."

"Gabriella," Chad says sternly as he squeezes her shoulder, making her look up at him with wide, innocent eyes. "I know Troy. He likes you. A lot."

Gabriella's eyes dart down as she bites her lip as she tries to find another excuse against knowing better, but Chad beats her to it.

"Just don't break his heart, okay?" he says, a sudden vulnerability in his voice, which makes her look back up again and stare into Chad's eyes for a moment.

She can't make that promise. Not when she's still scared of love, not when Troy is still not the only person she has feelings for.

Yet, against knowing better, she nods. "I won't."

Chad smiles. "Good."

Then, he smiles mischievously. "So, as for getting to know you… Do you play any sports?"

Gabriella smiles sheepishly as she shakes her head. "No, sports are not really my thing."

"Oh, we've got to change that," Chad says, his eyes lighting up. "I can teach you some basketball if you want!"

Gabriella smiles at his eagerness and opens her mouth to reply, but she's cut off by a new voice.

"Hey."

Chad and Gabriella both look up to find Troy approaching them, an apprehensive look in his eyes.

"What's going on here?" he asks as he stops in front of them, Chad letting go of Gabriella's shoulder.

"We were just getting to know each other," Chad says, before smiling down at Gabriella. "Right?"

Gabriella nods earnestly, and Troy narrows his eyes at her, before drawing out an, "Okaaaaaay."

As Troy and Gabriella stare at each other for a moment, the former trying to gauge whether the latter is speaking the truth, Chad suddenly chuckles awkwardly.

"Well, I think we should let you two get to it," he says, before motioning to Zeke and Jason to come along. "See you later! And let me know if you want to play basketball with me!"

And then, with a mischievous wink, he leaves, the other two trailing behind him.

Troy sighs as he watches their retreating backs, before turning back to Gabriella and eyeing her suspiciously. "You're really okay?"

Gabriella smiles. If anything, she should ask him. He's in just as deep as her, and for some reason, she has a feeling that he will end up more hurt than her.

She decides not to dwell on that, so she just nods. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Troy smiles. "Good."

And as they wordlessly start following his friends, Gabriella can't help but sneak one last long wistful look at Troy, and she feels a pang of guilt when she thinks about Sharpay and tonight again.

Oh, how she wishes she won't break his heart.

How she wishes she won't break her own again.

* * *

Gabriella has decided to wear _that_ dress.

The dress that Sharpay picked out for her that day at the store, the one that set Sharpay's heart aflutter.

It's a date.

Sharpay can't breathe. She wishes she could be anywhere but here, sitting forcibly still in the theatre as she tries to pay attention to the movie. Sharpay was right about them not being able to decide on one, but they have settled for a romantic comedy, but not one of those overly sappy ones. She can't pay attention, though. All she wants to do is stare at Gabriella, but she can't do that.

It would probably freak Gabriella out, and it would give Sharpay's true feelings away.

So, she keeps her eyes starkly focused on the screen and tries not to sneak glances at Gabriella's side-profile.

This is where her good acting chops should come in, where she should act as if everything is okay and she's not about to start hyperventilating, but she can't do it. She can't keep up the façade when Gabriella is around.

Unable to help herself, Sharpay sneaks one glance – probably the first of many – at Gabriella and she feels an uneasy feeling settle in her stomach as she sees how relaxed Gabriella is.

Either she's a better actress than Sharpay is – which is highly unlikely, all things considered –, or Sharpay is completely misinterpreting the situation.

Sharpay's gaze doesn't seem to go unnoticed by Gabriella, for she turns to her after a second, and Sharpay can swear she can see Gabriella blush as she smiles at Sharpay, before turning back to the screen.

With a sigh, Sharpay purses her lips as she turns back to the movie, too, trying to still her beating heart as she can practically feel the heat radiating off Gabriella's body besides her.

She needs to find something else on which to concentrate. She should probably concentrate on the movie and the only vaguely attractive man kissing the woman that is way out of his league, or maybe the guy sitting in front of them eating his popcorn much too loudly.

After a while of listening to the guy and watching the main couple interact, she feels like she's actually relaxing, and not constantly feeling paralyzed by Gabriella's presence besides her.

However, she's very quickly reminded of the reality of the situation when she reaches for the popcorn sitting in between them and her hand suddenly comes into contact with Gabriella's.

A spark runs through her arm, and suddenly, she's thrown back to that day in her room, feeling that same odd mixture of fear and excitement run through her as her breath hitches.

Slowly, fearfully, she looks up to meet Gabriella's gaze. Those pretty brown eyes are widened in the same shock that Sharpay is feeling, but there's a sparkle hidden beneath it, that same sparkle that sent her heart aflutter from the very start.

Part of her wants to pull her hand away, to retreat into her shell, like she did the last time this happened, but she refrains.

She's not going to put herself through this again.

Moreover, she's curious. She wants to know what would happen if she didn't retract her hand. She wants to know how Gabriella feels.

Therefore, she gulps as she averts her gaze to focus her attention on the screen as her hand remains in place, warm sparks running up her arm as their skins stay in contact.

Sharpay can hear Gabriella's sharp intake of breath, but she doesn't retract her hand either.

Instead, their hands stay in the same position for the remainder of the movie, their fingers lightly touching one another's.

It feels thrilling. It feels right.

And as Sharpay spares another glance at Gabriella just before the movie ends, she can't help but feel her heart flutter wildly as she notices the gorgeous, lazy smile on her face.

So, with a deep breath, she takes a leap. She intertwines their fingers in a perfect fit, squeezing before letting go. As Gabriella glances back at her, her eyes shining as her grin widens, Sharpay can't help but smile herself as she feels warmth course through every one of her veins.

Suddenly, she doesn't feel nervous anymore. Suddenly, she feels merely excited.

Suddenly, she lets go of her fears. Suddenly, she thinks she might be falling in love.

* * *

Gabriella can't stop thinking about the way that Sharpay's hand felt intertwined with hers.

It felt so right, as if their hands were meant to hold each other's, and while that should scare her for a myriad of reasons, there's no fear at all.

How could she be scared of something that felt so good?

However, as much as she enjoyed Sharpay's touch, she still feels tense as Sharpay drives her home and it's not just because Sharpay's driving skills aren't particularly great.

As she sneaks a glance at Sharpay, whose eyes are starkly focused on the road, Gabriella wonders what she's thinking. Did she enjoy it just as much as Gabriella did? Does she feel the same way?

If Gabriella were to hazard a guess, she would say that the answer would be yes. After all, Sharpay was the one to intertwine their fingers eventually, and it was Sharpay who kept staring at her and who returned her smile with a contentment and fondness that Gabriella had never seen on her face before.

As the car slows down to a stop, Sharpay finally meets her eyes, her hazelnut eyes sparkling but displaying a slight nervousness as she smiles at Gabriella meekly. "We're here."

Looking outside towards her house, Gabriella nods, feeling a little disappointed that tonight is over, that she's about to leave Sharpay's company.

"I'll walk you up to your door," Sharpay says, and Gabriella blinks as she blushes and shakes her head.

"That isn't necessary."

Sharpay sends her a small smile, which she can't help but return. "I want to."

As they walk up to her door, Gabriella suddenly feels awkward as she doesn't dare to look anywhere but at the ground beneath her feet.

"Well, this is me," she says, smiling meekly as she wills herself to stop training her eyes on the ground, instead locking her eyes with Sharpay's again.

Sharpay is staring at her intensely, her eyes narrowed a little, and when Gabriella shivers, she's not sure because if it's because she's cold in this dress – this dress that she wore specifically because she knows Sharpay likes it – or if it's because of that scrutinizing gaze that is focused on her.

That scrutinizing gaze that has set her world alight since the very moment it first fell on her.

They stare at each other wordlessly for a moment, before Sharpay blinks and her face suddenly breaks out into a small smile. "I had fun tonight."

Gabriella bites her lip, before returning the smile and raising her eyebrows challengingly. "Even though you hate romantic comedies?"

Sharpay rolls her eyes. "I never said I hated romantic comedies. I just hate it when they're too sappy."

Then, her gaze softens again as she mumbles, "But seriously. I had a great time with you."

Gabriella feels her cheeks heat up with a blush. "Same here."

They stare at each other for another moment, before both move in simultaneously and Gabriella feels her stomach flutter as she feels Sharpay's breath on her face.

Simultaneously, they kiss each other's cheek, not too close but also not too far away from the lips, before pulling away slowly, both of their faces flushed.

Sharpay's lips were so soft on her skin. So, so soft.

Gabriella doesn't think her heartbeat can get any faster than this as they stare at each other wordlessly for another moment, before Sharpay lets out a chuckle.

"I guess I'd better go," she says softly, slight disappointment in her eyes as that gentle smile reappears on her face. "Toodles."

"Bye," is all that Gabriella can muster in response, her voice quiet, as she offers a smile in return.

With that, Sharpay walks back to her car and with one last smile, she hops in and drives off.

As the pink convertible disappears from Gabriella's vision, she softly opens the door and steps inside, pushing her body's weight against the door as it closes.

With a sigh – or maybe a swoon –, she touches her cheek, where she swears she can still feel Sharpay's lips.

This was not part of the plan. And rationally, she knows it's still very bad. She's gone through this exact same thing with Troy not too long ago, and it didn't end particularly well.

But she doesn't care. She can't care.

Not as long as her heart continues to flutter like that and her stomach is filled with butterflies.

Not as long as it feels so good.

* * *

 **A/N: One more chapter left! And we're still only slightly getting somewhere… Yay, slow burns!**

 **I really do enjoy writing the romance aspect of it, though, and I'm glad I'm finally getting there, and I hope you enjoyed it too!**

 **As always, reviews make my day!**


	14. Chapter 14

Sharpay can't wait to see Gabriella.

She hasn't slept at all last night – _again_ –, but this time, it hasn't been because of the worries and potential heartbreak, but rather because of the excitement.

Last night awoke something in her, something dormant that she hasn't been able to come to terms with or acknowledge since Gabriella came into her life and changed everything that she thought she knew.

Of course, she has known that her feelings for Gabriella weren't strictly platonic for a while, but she hasn't really realized how deep they run and how happy Gabriella truly makes her if she allows herself to embrace her.

All this time that she spent keeping Gabriella's at arm's length – for whatever reasons she told herself at the time –, she should have been keeping her close, and she should have allowed herself to be happy.

Ryan has noticed a change in her demeanour, too, for he has been sneaking amused and slightly suspicious glances at her all morning as she whistled and danced her way through breakfast. He still doesn't know, though, for Sharpay is still a little bit too wary to tell him the truth, but if he doesn't know when they enter school and Sharpay's eyes fall on Gabriella, he would be a fool.

Sharpay obviously can't see herself, but she can almost _feel_ the way her entire face lights up, in combination with a swirl of butterflies in her stomach.

She can also sense Ryan's eyes on her, but she ignores that as she watches Gabriella giggle at something one of Troy's friends – who are also Gabriella's friends now, apparently – has said.

Suddenly, however, Troy's friends walk away, Chad clapping Troy on the back, and Troy and Gabriella are alone.

Sharpay feels a nervous and slightly jealous shiver run through her body as she and Ryan slowly start to approach Gabriella's locker, watching as Troy says something to make her throw her head back in laughter.

She knows she probably has nothing to worry about – Gabriella seemed pretty steadfast in her decision not to pursue a relationship with Troy, and furthermore, Sharpay doesn't know if Gabriella would even pursue a relationship with _her_ –, but something about the way Troy smiles at Gabriella affectionately doesn't bode very well.

So, with narrowed eyes, Sharpay approaches them, Ryan trailing behind her curiously.

As soon as they are within earshot, Gabriella lets out another giggle, loud and adorably squeaky, but the flutter it causes in Sharpay's stomach quickly vanishes, replaced by a squeamish feeling as she watches Troy's face light up and his smile widen.

She knows that smile, that look. It portrays the same kind of happiness that she has felt since last night.

And she can't help but feel jealous as Gabriella continues to appear so giddy, a soft smile remaining on her face, the same one that she sent her last night after they kissed each other goodbye.

She thought it meant something when Gabriella looked at her that way, but maybe it doesn't.

"So," Troy starts as Sharpay almost reaches them, his face suddenly serious as he nervously rubs the back of his neck, "Are you doing anything tonight?"

Gabriella raises an eyebrow, the smile not disappearing of her face. "No, why?"

"I was wondering if you would want to come over to watch a movie again. I had a lot of fun last time."

And then Sharpay shatters inside. Logically, she knows that friends watch movies. That applies to both last night and any other times Gabriella may have watched movies with Troy.

However, there's something about the nerves displayed by Troy and how Gabriella blinks astonished that tells her that he doesn't intend for them to hang out as friends.

Troy is asking Gabriella out.

Of course it was too good to be true.

Feeling all colour drain from her face, Sharpay turns around swiftly and runs the opposite direction, her heels clicking against the floor as she flees.

She doesn't want to be there. She doesn't want to hear Gabriella say yes.

She thought last night meant just as much to Gabriella as it did to her, and she can't stand the possibility that the feeling might not have been as mutual as she thought it was.

God, she hates having feelings. She hates feeling weak, feeling hurt.

"Sharpay!"

Turning around, her chest heaving, she feels guilt wash over her as a worried Ryan approaches her.

"What happened over there?" he asks, his voice a mixture of alarm and suspicion.

As they stare at each other for a second, Sharpay considers telling him. He's her brother, he knows what it's like to love someone you're not supposed to love according to society, he'll understand.

However, admitting that she likes someone who would choose someone else over her constitutes admitting failure, and admitting that she likes Gabriella also means that all of these feelings, all of this confusion, it becomes real.

She thought she was ready to do it, but she can't.

However, as it turns out, she doesn't have to tell him anything, because Ryan's eyes suddenly widen as realization seems to dawn on him.

"You like Gabriella."

He says it with awe and wonder, as if the world makes sense now, but Sharpay doesn't think it does. It just makes the world a cruel place.

Ryan seems to realize the tragedy of it all as well, as he suddenly looks at her sympathetically as he wordlessly wraps her in his arms.

And, in his arms, she feels her body relax, the worries ebbing away, at least for the moment.

There's nothing that a good hug from her brother can't make better.

"Are you going to tell her?"

He can't completely fix her problems, though.

But, as Sharpay looks up at him, she thinks that she may have to.

It would be terrifying and the thought of the inevitable rejection makes her feel weaker than she'd ever like to feel, but maybe it's the right thing to do.

If, by any chance, last night did mean something to Gabriella, she should know.

Sharpay should be an option.

She has to face reality. She has to put herself out there.

However, as much as she knows she should do it, she still feels a current of fear running through her body as she snuggles into his chest.

It's the right thing to do, she tells herself. She owes it to herself and to Gabriella to take that risk, the same way Gabriella took a huge risk by joining the drama club.

But it's still one of the hardest things she will ever have to do.

She's still scared.

* * *

Ever since she realized that she has to tell Gabriella, Sharpay has been avoiding her. It hasn't been the most difficult thing to do, thankfully, because they don't have any classes together besides homeroom and Taylor has whisked Gabriella away to lunch before she could join Kelsi and the twins.

She just doesn't know how to do it. She doesn't know how to bring it up, how to face Gabriella with the knowledge of what she's planning to do, the knowledge that she's about to ruin it all.

She's such a coward. If there's one thing she hates, it's cowards.

And Ryan probably would agree that she is one, because he's been watching her carefully all day, growing more worried every time Sharpay and Gabriella walk past each other in the hallway, sharing nothing more than a smile.

By the end of the day, part of her hopes that Gabriella has already left school and she'll just have to do it tomorrow, so she can sleep on it and prepare herself.

However, fate obviously has other ideas, as Sharpay walks into the bathroom just before last period and finds Gabriella there.

Their bathroom encounters have never gone well, so this is not a good sign, Sharpay thinks as she feels a lump form in her throat.

Quickly checking if there's anyone in the stalls – she doesn't know whether to be thankful or not when she finds out there aren't any spectators –, she offers Gabriella a tense smile as she stands in front of the sink next to her.

Gabriella, however, doesn't seem to notice how nervous Sharpay is, as she lights up. "Sharpay! I haven't spoken to you all day!"

She seems kind of remorseful, almost disappointed, and Sharpay feels kind of guilty for avoiding her, even if she had a good reason.

That good reason being how nervous that sparkle in Gabriella's eyes makes her, and how she's been trying to put off ruining their relationship forever.

She could make up an excuse, about how she's been busy all day, how she hasn't had any time to come talk to her, or just say anything not too unsubtle, but instead, she blurts out, "So, I heard Troy asking you out this morning."

Well, so much for subtlety.

Gabriella blinks in response, looking kind of astonished like she did this morning as she furrows her eyebrows in confusion. "You mean when we tried to schedule a movie night?"

She sounds genuinely bemused, but Sharpay ignores her confusion as she continues, "Did you say yes?"

With a sharp look, she turns to look Gabriella in the eye as Gabriella opens her mouth to reply and closes it again, frowning rather adorably.

After they stare at each other for a moment, Sharpay tense and a little apprehensive and Gabriella confused and slightly guilty, Sharpay shakes her head. "You know what, I don't want to know. I hope you have just as much fun as we did last night, though."

Feeling a little apprehensive at her inability to keep her jealousy out of her voice, she watches as Gabriella narrows her eyes at her confused. Then, realization seems to dawn, her eyes sparkling with a gentle fondness as a smile blossoms on her face.

"Sharpay…" she starts, softly, sympathetically, but Sharpay shakes her head.

She doesn't want to hear it. She doesn't want to deal with the rejection.

She just wants to say her part, do what she has to do, and then get the hell out of here.

So, feeling a little helpless, she smiles. "I just wanted you to know that whatever happens, last night meant a lot to me."

As Gabriella watches her wordlessly, her cheeks slightly pink with an adorable blush, Sharpay takes a deep breath.

"I know we said that we would forget what happened between us that day, but I just can't stand around and pretend that there's nothing going on anymore. I just…"

Then, she stops. She can't go on. She can't do it. She averts her gaze, staring at the floor starkly as she lets out a nervous laugh. "Never mind. This is stupid."

"Sharpay," Gabriella says again, her voice slightly trembling yet full of wonder and encouragement, and Sharpay looks up again at the sound.

She feels her breath hitch as their eyes lock again, and she sees that spark in Gabriella's eyes again. That spark that used to infuriate her, that spark that always made her feel on edge, that spark that challenged her.

That spark that simultaneously weakened and strengthened her.

Gabriella is aware of what Sharpay wants to say, that much is obvious. And, with that spark in her eyes, filled with a hint of an emotion that Sharpay can't quite place – is it… _excitement_? –, Gabriella is challenging her. She's challenging her to take the leap, the same way that Sharpay inadvertently encouraged Gabriella to take the leap into theatre all those months ago.

So, with another deep breath, Sharpay says, firmly, "I like you, Gabriella. I like you a lot."

She can hear Gabriella's breath hitch as her body freezes, and Sharpay feels a pit form in the bottom of her stomach as reality sets in.

It's out there now. There's no going back.

As Gabriella keeps staring at her, tensely, Sharpay musters a small smile as she continues, "I know it's a lot to take in, and I completely understand if this freaks you out, but I've liked you for a while. In hindsight, it's one of the reasons why I hated you so much. I was scared of my feelings. And I know you probably don't feel the same way, but I just wanted you to know. You deserve to know."

Gabriella remains still, staring at Sharpay with an intensity that sends a tingle through her body.

Part of her wants to take another leap and kiss those luscious lips that she has been dreaming of for so long, but she has to refrain, especially considering there's a good chance that Gabriella might hate her right now.

So, instead, she turns back to the mirror, keeping her attention focused on Gabriella behind her.

After a moment, Gabriella blinks as she seems to be snapped from her daze. A small smile on her face, she takes a step towards Sharpay, her hand hovering over her shoulder, but Sharpay steps away before Gabriella can touch her.

For a long moment, they stand there, facing each other, both unsure what to say, before Gabriella suddenly takes a step forward, and Sharpay feels her breath hitch as her eyes flick down towards those lips, feeling Gabriella's breath on her face.

Is she about to kiss her?

It seems like the answer is no, for Gabriella suddenly blinks and her eyes widen, before she steps back, as if burned by their proximity.

"I…" she starts, but she doesn't finish. Instead, she shakes her head, and within the blink of an eye, Gabriella has run out of the bathroom and Sharpay is left alone, to her own devices.

Letting out a deep trembling breath, she feels her heart shatter to a million pieces. Now she's done it, now she's truly ruined them for good.

However, she can't keep the way that Gabriella silently challenged her to confess out of her head. There was something there, something almost hopeful.

She's scared, and hurt, and broken, but it's that hope in Gabriella's eyes that makes her realize that it may not be over yet.

And this time, she refuses to let whatever is going on between them wither and die.

So, as she turns back in the mirror, she straightens her shoulder and takes a deep breath.

She's going after her.

* * *

Why did she run away?

All day, Gabriella has been excited to see Sharpay, excited at the prospects and opportunities that this new step in their relationship might bring.

And Sharpay definitely took a step, alright.

She likes Gabriella, the same way that Gabriella likes her. Their feelings are mutual.

And that's probably where things went wrong, Gabriella reckons. As soon as she realized what Sharpay was trying to tell her, long before those three cruel yet wonderous words slipped from her mouth, Gabriella felt a jittery feeling inside. It was a feeling of excitement, but also one of fear, the same fear that has overcome her countless times around Troy.

Still, Gabriella had wanted Sharpay to continue. She had wanted to hear it, wanted to dare Sharpay to be brave. So, why had she suddenly lost her own nerve?

Now things are bleak again. Sharpay thinks she's dating Troy, and she probably thinks she freaked her out – which she admittedly did, but not in the way she probably thinks –, and Gabriella has lost her chance.

Because, while she's alone now with her thoughts, she realized this was a chance she really wanted to take. With Troy, there's always been an undercurrent of insecurity, of it not feeling exactly right, and Sharpay has always been on the back of her mind, but the minute Sharpay told her about her feelings, she felt none of those uncertainties.

The only fear she has is the fear of taking the actual leap.

With a groan, she buries her face in her knees as she sits on the floor, right outside the auditorium, feeling incredibly foolish and incredibly alone as she realizes how badly she has handled this situation.

She should have kissed or hugged Sharpay like she wanted to, not run away to sit alone outside the auditorium moping.

She could have had her happy ending by now, but no, of course she had to ruin it. And there's no way that Sharpay is coming after her to fix it. She's probably done enough brave things for one day. Her pride is probably too hurt for her ever to speak to Gabriella again.

So, when she hears the familiar sound of heels clicking on the floor, it's safe to say that Gabriella is surprised.

She's even more surprised when a familiar female voice drifts into her ears, melodic and comforting.

"Gabriella."

A shudder of fear running through her as she looks up, she comes face to face with Sharpay. Her face is set in a tight frown – probably not good for those frown lines –, but behind the concern and annoyance, there's a hint of fondness that makes Gabriella's heart flutter a little.

"You came after me."

She can't believe it. She just hurt Sharpay's pride and her feelings by running away, and Sharpay came after her.

Sharpay purses her lips and says curtly, "We have unfinished business."

Gabriella feels slight guilt run through her at the hurt in Sharpay's voice, but she also feels a pang of fondness of Sharpay as she realizes how grateful she is that Sharpay didn't pull away from her this time.

It could have ended in irrevocable heartbreak, again, but Sharpay's determination is giving her another opportunity.

So, she lets out a nervous laugh as she gets up from her position on the floor, wiping her hands on her upper legs anxiously before she dares to look Sharpay in the eyes.

There's so much to say. That she's sorry for running away, that she's scared, that she feels the same way, that she wants to give this a try.

However, the only thing that comes from her mouth is, "Troy wasn't asking me out."

As Sharpay gives her an incredulous look, Gabriella shrugs as she elaborates, "At least, I don't think he was. He knows that I don't want to start a relationship with him."

Sharpay purses her lips as she nods slowly. "That's good to know. I mean, not good for you and Troy, obviously, but you know what I mean."

With a smile, Gabriella nods in understanding as they fall into an uncomfortable silence again, staring at each other.

There's something in Sharpay's eyes, something akin to hope and something else that Gabriella can't quite decipher, and somehow, she's reminded of that first time she's stared into those eyes.

Back then, she thought she had to avoid them at all costs, that Sharpay was up to no good. And while that has been proven to be true, Gabriella realizes that now she wants anything but to avoid her.

She doesn't want to avoid her feelings. She wants to give in, she wants to be swayed by those determined eyes, she wants to take on the challenge that Sharpay has posed for her in not so many words.

She wants to give it a try.

So, she gulps, and with a deep breath, she softly says, "I think part of the reason why I don't want to date him is because of you."

Nervously, she watches as the emotions flash through Sharpay's eyes, from hesitance to fear to excitement to affection.

"Are you saying–?" Sharpay asks, in a timid fashion that Gabriella has never seen before, and Gabriella can't help but giggle in response, her stomach fluttering with affection.

And before she knows it, it happens. Before she knows it, Sharpay's lips are on hers, pressing hard and she feels like her insides are exploding as Sharpay's hands land on her waist and she squeezes.

Sharpay's lips are softer and sweeter than she could have ever imagined, tasting like strawberry and fresh mint as they press against her mouth desperately.

The kiss only lasts a few seconds, but it feels like an eternity, and Gabriella's eyes stay closed for a second as she basks in the moment, before they flutter open slowly to reveal a deeply blushing Sharpay.

"Was that okay?" Sharpay asks, sounding a little desperate, and Gabriella smiles slowly, lazily as she steps forward and softly places her hands on Sharpay's neck, leaning in to peck her lips again, a zing rushing through her body at the contact.

As she pulls away, Sharpay is grinning happily, and she can't help but return the smile, feeling truly content for the first time since she met Sharpay.

After a moment of smiling at each other foolishly, the smile suddenly disappears from Sharpay's face, replaced by a frown. "Why doesn't this feel wrong?"

Gabriella bites her lip as she contemplates Sharpay's words. It definitely should feel wrong, for a myriad of reasons, but it doesn't. And she doesn't care. Maybe it's just the heavy impact of the moment, the relief that the truth is finally out there, but Gabriella feels truly happy.

"I don't know," she whispers, "but I like how this feels."

Sharpay beams at that, before leaning in and pressing another sweet kiss to her mouth.

Then, she suddenly looks slightly nervous, as she hesitantly asks, "So, what happens now?"

That's a loaded question, with many layers. What do they do about their feelings? Are they going to actually going to start a relationship and be girlfriends? And if so, how are they going to deal with the prejudice? How are they going to deal with Troy and his feelings for Gabriella?

There's an overwhelming amount of aspects of this, whatever it is, to figure out, and normally, that would frighten Gabriella, but right now, all she wants to do is be with Sharpay. They'll figure out the rest later.

So, with a shrug and smile, she says, "Let's just wait and see."

Sharpay seems to contemplate this for a moment, letting out a thoughtful hum, before nodding slowly. "That sounds fabulous."

Then, she grabs one of Gabriella's hands, which is still softly placed on her neck and squeezes as she pulls her down to sit on the floor together.

With a contented sigh, Sharpay nestles her head into the crook of Gabriella's neck, and warmth flushes through Gabriella's veins as she smiles in response and drops a small kiss to the top of Sharpay's head.

They sit there for what feels like an eternity, lost in their own bubble, before Sharpay suddenly lets out a laugh.

As Gabriella shouts her a confused look, Sharpay gestures around and says, "I guess the third time is the charm."

With a laugh, Gabriella nods. That really is true. This is where they first buried their hatchet and became friends, where they made up after that excruciating period of awkwardness after they first realized their feelings.

It's only fitting that Gabriella ran here in her panic and not to the rooftop. It's only fitting that their relationship is starting here.

And, as she looks up at the doors leading to the auditorium, she smiles. She's so glad she came here to East High. She's so glad she took that leap of faith and auditioned. She's so glad she pursued Sharpay's friendship despite all the odds stacked against them.

This school, this musical has brought her happiness that she never knew existed.

Being with Sharpay, she knows that the future is going to be hard and that there are going to be many obstacles ahead.

But as long as she has Sharpay by her side to challenge her and as long as she has a little courage and that flame that urged her to fight for herself continues to flicker, she will be alright.

* * *

 **A/N:** **And, with one final stretch of angst, it's done!**

 **This has been a real nerve-wracking experiment for me, writing a relatively unexplored pairing, and I will admit some parts are messy, but it's been really fun writing about these fools and their burgeoning love and I hope you enjoyed it as well!**

 **Thanks for reading, and one last time, please leave a review!**


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